Beyond A Shattered Looking Glass
by Wile E. Coyote
Summary: Alice's parents died in a housefire and she lies lifeless in Rutledge Asylum. That is until the White Rabbit summons to Wonderland to save it from the tyrannical Queen of Hearts. Adaptation of the game. Rated T for violence and death, may become M.
1. First Meetings

**Greetings to all who decide to leap down the rabbit hole, abandon their sanity and enter this warped fanfic based upon American McGee's Alice**

**Greetings to all who decide to leap down the rabbit hole, abandon their sanity and enter this warped fanfic based upon American McGee's Alice. I've never played the game, but I've watched Speed Runs of the game so I know how the plot works. I have always had this strange liking for Alice in Wonderland, having watched the Disney version, an animated film based on the Looking Glass book, a 1999 film based on the original book with a lot of actors I like, a parody episode of it on Cardcaptor Sakura and then found out about the game on Wikipedia. I also look forward to the film based on the game that is supposedly going to be released in July 2008. It will star Sarah Michelle Gellar as Alice, and Jean Marsh as the Queen of Hearts.**

**Anyway, this story will be based on the game obviously, but will focus on two different POVs (Points of Views). One will be focused on Alice's adventures in the nightmarish Wonderland. All the characters in the game will be featured, but I will be adding in those from the book who didn't make into the game (Mr. Mouse, the Dodo and their friends, Pat the gardener, the frog and fish footman, the three playing cards who painted the queen's rose trees red, and the Knave of Hearts).**

**The second will focus on events in Rutledge Asylum, following mostly the events written in the casebook of Dr. Wilson and will feature the characters mentioned in the entries.**

**This will hopefully be an enjoyable story for you to read. I also hope you send reviews. And no flaming!**

**This is the longest Author's Note I have written! It boggles the mind!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own American McGee's Alice, Alice in Wonderland, and any of its characters in any form or shape they make take. The game is copyright to American McGee, the books and all their contents are copyright to Lewis Carroll. The Jabberwocky originates from the poem of the same name, also written by Lewis Carroll. This fanfiction is copyright to me.**

**Enough gassing. Let's grab a Vorpal Blade and head down that blasted rabbit hole!**

**Note: Rutledge Institute is not a real place. I looked it up.**

**…**

**Beyond A Shattered Looking Glass**

**Chapter 1: First Meetings**

_Received confirmation from the Superintendent that I will be given the opportunity to treat a very troubled and difficult patient. Dubious honour! Her name is Alice, and her prognosis is not promising. After looking at her file, I'm astonished she has survived this long. She has been nearly comatose for comatose for a year._

-- 4th November 1864

Rutledge Private Clinic and Asylum was a large haunting building that was built in a sloped gulf stuck between two hills, in Lancashire, England. At least six stories high with many hidden catacomb wards beneath the ground floor, it was safe to say that Rutledge Institute was indeed a place of secrets and madness. The nights there were enough to send a sane person into one of the beds in a fit of madness. Not was there one minute in the institute where it was quiet, with insane patients in straightjackets being carted off into solitary confinement. Others were dragged away to some unknown fate, kicking and screaming, raving about the most peculiar of things. Death was not a rare sight in the institute, with patients or even the staff taking their own or other lives.

Opened in 1742, the institute has seen many trials and horrors. It was no wonder the superintendent didn't ever visit. Among the large number of psychiatrists there, was Doctor Hieronymous Q. Wilson, who had been working in the asylum for twenty three years and was used to the madness that was encased within the walls.

However, ten years ago, a new patient had arrived to the institute. It was an eight-year old girl, frozen in a state of comatose. According to her file, the girl's family had been killed in a house fire, the girl being the only apparent survivor. Dr. Wilson spent the first year with her helping to heal her wounds, and has spent the past seven trying to help her escape her comatose state, but no luck.

As Dr. Wilson walked along a corridor in the direction of the girl's room, he remembered how she had first arrived almost a decade ago. It was on November 11th, 1864. It was raining as it usually did around the time of that year. Dr. Wilson stood on the front step of the institute, hands in his coat pockets. An ambulance had driven up and a pair of orderlies were carefully carrying the girl on a stretcher. Dr. Wilson stepped out to greet them silently. As the orderlies passed him slowly towards the entrance, he examined the girl. She had a bandaged head and severe burn marks on her arms. Hauntingly, her emerald green eyes stared up at the cloudy sky as if in some sort of hypnotic trance. This sent a chill up Dr. Wilson's spine.

As the orderlies began climbing the steps to the institute's entrance, a skinny cat sprung out of nowhere and pounced onto the girl, leaping onto her chest. The two orderlies were so shocked they dropped the stretcher on the hard steps with a loud clatter, the girl's head bounding as the stretched bounced up to meet her. The orderlies and Dr. Wilson rushed to the fallen girl, the cat not budging from its spot on her chest. The two orderlies slowly picked up the stretched, hoping the cat would leap off – but it didn't. It just sat there, staring at the girl's empty green eyes with its own yellow moonlit eyes. A third orderly had rushed out of the building at the sound of the clatter and brandishing a tree branch he picked up from the ground, stabbed the air near the cat. The cat flinched, hissed and sprung off the girl, sprinting away into the shrubbery nearby. The orderlies hurried the girl inside. Dr. Wilson followed post haste, noticing the yellow gleaming eyes of the cat watching him in the bushes.

Dr. Wilson snapped out of his memories and strode down the final corridor to reach the room of the girl. He stopped in his tracks. His assistant, Nurse D, a woman in her 30's whose name was long that she was addressed just by the first letter, stood in the doorway. Her face seemed to be frozen in a joyous smile.

"What is wrong, Nurse D?" asked Dr. Wilson as he stepped forwards.

Nurse D turned with her huge smile and pointed into the open doorway. Puzzled, Dr. Wilson stepped forward and stared into the room, getting the shock of his life. The room, which was mostly dark with yellow wall and ceiling, was home to Alice, the girl who had been brought in over eight years ago. Alice had spent her entire time at the institute lying in a bed, staring up at the ceiling. But as if a miracle had happened, there sat Alice on the floor, drawing something on a piece of paper with a pencil and a yellow crayon.

Alice was a girl of eighteen, with long reddish brown hair that went just beyond her shoulders. She had emerald green eyes that seemed to glow ominously in the dark room. She wore a blue skirt covered with a white apron, a pair of big pockets visible. She wore black socks and identical black shoes. She wore a necklace on a cord around her neck, an oddly shaped "A" on the end.

Dr. Wilson stood in the doorway, mouth agape. He turned to Nurse D, wondering if he was imagining it. She looked back, shrugging slightly in answer to how the girl came to be in her current position.

"How long has she been like this?" asked Dr. Wilson quietly to Nurse D, hoping Alice wouldn't be able to hear.

"I came to check on her about ten minutes ago, and there she was on the floor," said Nurse D. "Drawing on a piece of paper I had left on the table."

"I see…" said Dr. Wilson. He breathed heavily and straightened his coat. "I guess I should try to make contact."

Dr. Wilson slowly glided into the room, his footsteps quiet on the wooden floor. His shadow passed over Alice's form like a raincloud. Alice stopped her drawing, her pencil poised in her hand. The girl slowly lifted her head, her green eyes meeting Dr. Wilson's brown eyes. Dr. Wilson was a little nervous. He was used to most of his children patients but this one was an enigma. She had been in a comatose state for years but now she was up and about as if she was fine.

Dr. Wilson cleared his throat politely and crouched down on his knees to come down to Alice's level. Her green eyes seemed to be locked onto his, never leaving contact for a second. They were full of suspicion and unnatural anger, almost making the poor girl look like she had a sudden desperate need to blow the doctor's head off then and there, and then do away with Nurse D as well. Dr. Wilson smiled softly at the girl, their eyes still locked.

"Hello, Alice, it is nice to finally see you moving…and to meet you in person at last," said Dr. Wilson. "I am Dr. Wilson. You are in Rutledge Asylum."

Alice just stared at him, but seemed to acknowledge he was there to help her when a smile formed on her face. But it was a very peculiar, almost sinister smile. Alice suddenly leapt up like a cat, catching Dr. Wilson by surprise, who stumbled to get up. He took a couple of steps backwards towards the door where Nurse D watched with a perplexed look on her face. Alice and Dr. Wilson examined eachother, their eyes never leaving contact with the other pair. Alice suddenly lifted her drawing, the contents turned away from Dr. Wilson. She slowly handed the drawing to him, her odd smile not leaving her face.

Dr. Wilson took the piece of paper and turned it over to look at the drawing Alice had sketched. He was rather astonished at what he saw. I was some sort of twisted cat, perching on a tree branch. The cat was incredibly thin, almost skeletal, and had a huge grin implanted on its feline face. The grin was rather creepy and looked as if someone had used a clamp to stretch the grin over the cat's face. Dr. Wilson stared at the drawing, then back at Alice. He blinked in rapid succession and then smiled, nodding in thanks. The doctor turned and quickly hurried out of the room, leaving Alice to Nurse D. Alice's green eyes blinked into space, not realising Dr. Wilson had left.

**…**

Later, Dr. Wilson entered his study, a large comfy room located on the back of the institute, the window looking out over the large garden where a lot of the children patients played. He sat down behind his desk and placed the drawing on the table. He looked about his room, checking the clock placed on a mantle and then picked up the drawing of the grinning cat. He examined its face, particularly its eyes and larger-than-life smile. It looked evil in some ways. Dr. Wilson pondered for a moment.

"Perhaps maybe it is some sort of form of Alice's troubles?" spoke Dr. Wilson to himself.

Placing the drawing down again, he took a key from his trouser pocket and unlocked a draw inside his desk. Opening it, he placed the drawing carefully onto a clipboard and slotted it inside the draw. He closed it and opened a second draw, pulling out an old book of some kind. It was an old casebook, creased from neglect. It had a brown leather cover with a red spine. It was Alice's casebook, the date of admittance: 4th November, 1864. The last entry Dr. Wilson had written in its pages was back on April Fool's Day, 1865. Now it was time to continue where he left off. He took a pen and wrote onto a new page.

_After years of slumber, she chooses to speak to us with a picture, a drawing of some sort of cat. Really, it's nothing like any cat I've ever seen. I admit to a certain amount of excitement over Alice's awakening. I have to be careful, though. At this point, it's difficult to tell what this development – what I'm pleased to call her "progress" – signifies._

-- 9th September, 1873

Little did Dr. Wilson know, but the drawing of the grinning cat would be the foreshadowing of the series of bizarre imaginings to come for him, and Alice…

**…**


	2. Down the Rabbit Hole Again

**Chapter 2: Down the Rabbit Hole Again**

_Her one possession is a toy – a sooty, stuffed rabbit whose single button eye dangles from a loose thread. Plaything from her time of innocence, and her only link to life before the fire, the rabbit is now sentinel to Alice's deepening dementia. _

-- 14th November, 1864

It was the 10th of November, the day after Alice first sprang to life after years of silence. She had recently just had her daily afternoon sedation and was lying in her bed, apparently sleeping peacefully. The door to the room opened quietly and Nurse D stepped in to collect Alice's food plates. As she turned to leave, she noticed Alice's one remaining item from her previous life: the stuffed toy rabbit, which lay by Alice's side like a faithful pet.

It was an old toy, grey in colour. It had long grey ears and wore a brown waistcoat made from leather. It had only one black eye, really a button, which dangled precariously by a slenderest thread from its eye socket. Nurse D looked at the rabbit sadly, but an idea struck her mind like a bolt of lightning. Smiling to herself confidently, Nurse D dashed out of the room and a couple of minutes later, returned with sewing equipment. Nurse D pulled up a wooden chair and carefully removed the toy rabbit from the Alice's bed. Examining the loose eye, Nurse D set to work on fixing up the rabbit. Nurse D had never been able to have her own children due to an accident that happened long ago that involved a falling down a well.

In no time at all, the rabbit's eye had been fixed, now back in its proper place. She stood and smiled her work proudly. Suddenly, a loud scream slammed into Nurse D's ears, causing to jump backwards in fright, dropping the rabbit to the floor. Alice was awake, and sobbing hysterically, arms flailing about wildly as if wrestling with some lecturing villain wanting the girl's virginity. Nurse D stood there horrified.

"What is it child?! Tell me, what's wrong?" pleaded Nurse D to the screaming girl.

Just then, the door opened and Dr. Wilson hurriedly came in. He looked around in alarm; at Nurse D, the disturbed Alice and the rabbit lying forgotten on the floor. Alice was tossing and turning on her bed, her hands in a position as if strangling someone to try and get them off her.

"Nurse D, what happened?" asked Dr. Wilson loudly over Alice's screams.

"I don't know, Doctor!" responded Nurse D. "I took the liberty of fixing her rabbit but she suddenly began to sob."

"Interesting…" said Dr. Wilson, picking up the toy rabbit. He moved to place the rabbit back into the bed, but as he approached Alice, her tantrum seemed to increase, her screams getting louder. He moved backwards, right out of the door – Alice's screams quietened. He stepped back into the room and Alice automatically continued her fit.

Then, the most unexpected thing happened. Alice's screaming ceased and she turned her sharply, her green eyes tearstained and creepy, glaring at her audience. Dr. Wilson's jaw could have slammed into the floor when Alice's mouth opened.

"Into the hole again, we hurried along our way. Into a once glorious garden, now seeped in decay…" said Alice, for the very first time since her arrival in the asylum.

Time seemed to slow down for Dr. Wilson and Nurse. Their mouths hung open, both pairs of eyes locked onto Alice's green eyes. Alice then turned away and returned to her screaming. Nurse D, not standing this outburst any longer, searched for the source. She found it by seizing the rabbit toy from Dr. Wilson and in one strong swipe, she pulled the newly fixed eye out of the rabbit's head and allowed it to hang loosely from its socket. Alice froze and went limp. The room had returned to silence again.

"She spoke," said Dr. Wilson, utterly amazed by what events had just unfolded. "Who knew? That such a small change could be as trivial as that!"

"What should be done, Doctor Wilson?" asked Nurse D.

"Give her another sedation. I think after an outburst like that, she could do with one," advised Dr. Wilson. He glanced briefly at Alice and her toy rabbit, before heading to check his other patients.

**…**

Alice lay in her bed, green eyes staring up blankly at the ceiling of her room. She had been doing that for years, watching the yellow paint peel away from the ceiling, listening to the maddened screams of other patients who were more insane that she had become. Alice had grown up without a life – but her lost childhood was trapped in a world which she once could visit peacefully. Now, her mind was lost in flames and darkness. Was there anyway to return to her realm of safety, down that rabbit hole?

Alice blinked.

The ceiling had gone. It had been replaced with nothing. Her bed has vanished as well. But where was she? She wasn't anywhere, she was falling down an endless tunnel of darkness. She flipped about in midair, her legs swinging up and over to meet with her head, her body following as she did a full somersault in midair. As Alice fell uncontrollably, she saw her toy rabbit falling with her. It seemed to be staring at her with its one eye which had miraculously placed back in its socket – even though Nurse D had ripped it out.

"Save us Alice!" the toy rabbit cried, and it vanished into darkness.

Alice screamed at the top of her lung as she too fell into darkness. The strong smell of smoke shot into her nostrils, then smell of fire, and burning. Fire had taken away her family, her home and her sanity. Was going to consume the rest of her? Where was this fire anyway? Alice continued to fall through darkness but no flames shot up to meet her. Instead, the rocky ground did. Alice hit the ground hard, rolling across it before grinding to a halt in a large pile. Her legs dangled in the air.

Alice's vision was blurred at first but soon it returned to normal. She was in an underground cavern by the look of it, but a small stream of water was gushing by to her right. Alice slumped backwards, her legs hitting the ground. Her head was throbbing, but then again, it has been throbbing for about ten years.

"Alice?" spoke a kind but aged voice.

Alice blinked as her vision blurred again and finally realised that she was not alone. Near her stood a rabbit, a white rabbit to be exact. It was propped up on its hind legs, staring at Alice quizzically with large brown eyes that seemed to be bulging out of its head. Long, skinny ears poked out of the brim of a black top hat, which was battered immensely. The rabbit was very skinny, aged and feral. Its waistcoat was torn in some places. A pair of bucked teeth stuck out of the rabbit's mouth, which was smiling lightly. Alice recognised the rabbit instantly. It was the White Rabbit, the one responsible for bringing her to Wonderland in the first place.

"Rabbit?" asked Alice. "What happened?"

"Welcome back," said the White Rabbit, hoping forwards to help Alice onto her feet. "And a lot has happened. There is really little time to explain. Caterpillar can explain everything once we find him."

"You are always late, besides, why don't you check your watch to see when you are late?" suggested Alice.

"I would if my watch hadn't been stolen," said the White Rabbit. "Now enough dawdling. We are very late, indeed!"

Before Alice could say a word, her long-eared friend bounded down the cavern and out of sight. But as he vanished, another appeared. It was Alice's grinning friend, the Cheshire Cat. He looked tremendously different. When Alice had first met him, he was a large fat house cat with a grin that shined like the crescent moon on clear nights. Now, he had an emaciated, almost skeletal appearance. His body was horribly bony, his rips exposed in his chest, his neck now a long pipe of bones. His limbs were skinny beyond comprehension and his tail now looked segmented. His fur was a dark brown, and oddly tattooed all over his face and legs. His right ear was pierced with a large looped earring. The cat's eye glowing yellow, and his familiar smile seemed more sinister, his large fanged teeth bloodstained.

"You've grown quite mangy, Cat, but I must say that your grin's a comfort," said Alice as the Cheshire Cat approached her, his smile never leaving his face.

"And you seem to have developed an attitude, but I hope you are still curious and willing to learn," said the Cheshire Cat. "Rabbit is always in a hurry, so I guess I'm the one who has to explain everything until we reach Caterpillar."

"Wonderland has become very strange…what happened?" asked Alice.

"Rabbit is right, there is little time, but let's just say that Wonderland has fallen into despair thanks to the tyrannical reign of the Queen of Hearts," explained the Cheshire Cat briefly. "Now quickly, pursue Rabbit!"

The cat vanished just as he had arrived. Alice was now alone. Sighing, Alice placed her hands into her apron pockets in frustration, only to cut her fingers on something sharp. Alice pulled out the culprit, a silver butcher knife. The Vorpal Blade, to be exact, used to kill the Jabberwock long ago. And now Alice would use it to fight her way to find the Rabbit.

**…**

Wielding her Vorpal Blade, Alice rushed down a slippery cave, and soon discovered a small village. Thatched roofs and wooden windows made up the small huts and simple planks of wood led up to extra parts of the caves. The villagers were small gnome creatures, most with scraggly beards. They wore long trousers and caps, and heaved onto their backs were large glowing rocks strapped into special bags. Obviously, these poor creatures had been forced or bullied in slavery. Alice promptly approached on of the gnomes, who had stopped to take breather.

"Pardon me, but is it possible you could tell me what has happened?" asked Alice. The gnome stared at her as if she had gone mad – then again, everyone in Wonderland was mad so the gnome's expression was the peculiar thing.

"Where have you been, in a coma?" asked the astonished gnome.

"Pretty much," muttered Alice.

"Oh, well to tell you the truth, we fear mentioning anything – otherwise we may lose our heads!" whispered the gnome, straining to keep the glowing ball up.

"You should stand up to your enslavers and be free," Alice encouraged.

"Defiance is generally useless!" groaned the gnome. "We have pretty much given up all hope. The only way to gain happiness is to die."

"Sounds like my time at the asylum…" said Alice.

Suddenly, a figure appeared down a path. It was one of the Queen's loyal but malicious card guards. This one was a Five of Hearts, with a skinny card for a body, arms and legs and a hooded head poking of its person. His face was broad with bloodshot eyes. Upon seeing Alice, the card guard screamed something that sounded like incoherent babble and brought out an axe. The gnome let out a scream and rushed off as fast as his feet would let him, but Alice stood her ground.

The card guard swung his axe at Alice, but with the motions of a cat, Alice ducked and dodged the weapon and brutally stabbed the guard through the chest with her Vorpal Blade. The card guard choked, and fell over backwards, a pool of blood forming around his corpse. Alice, for a brief moment, realised she had just killed someone. She examined the blood now staining the metal of her blade. Briefly haunted, Alice wiped the blood away on the hem of her apron, mixing red with white.

Alice moved on quickly, leaving behind the dead card. Unfortunately, he was just the first. More shortly appeared as Alice made her way through the tunnel in search of the White Rabbit, in colours of red and black, wielding axes and spears. All were slain in quick succession by Alice.

As Alice rushed through a new part of the tunnels, she spotted the White Rabbit in the distance. He waited for about two seconds for Alice and then rushed directly towards a wall. Alice thought for a moment the rabbit was going to slam directly into it, but instead he began shrinking in size and vanished through a tiny hole. Alice stopped and crouched before the wall, peering into ant-sized hole the rabbit had gone into. She looked about, half expecting a glass table with a bottle to appear behind her. Nothing did, except the Cheshire Cat, who still grinned.

"Why are you smiling for?" snapped Alice. "I don't have any Drink Me potion to get small!"

"It is natural for me," said the Cheshire Cat. "It is true that you do not have any drink, but maybe if you ask around, you might find some."

Alice stood and turned to face the cat. The Cheshire Cat's grin seemed to dim briefly when he noticed the blood on Alice's apron, but he resumed smiling.

"Good point. I suppose there is more than way to skin a cat, if you pardon the expression," said Alice, causing her feline friend to scowl at her.

"A most discomforting metaphor, please avoid using it!" said the Cheshire Cat, disappearing again.

**…**

Alice wondered through the tunnels, the Vorpal Blade gripped tightly in her hand. She had just killed another card guard, who had recognised her, so she bisected him in two.

As she rounded a corner, she found a wounded gnome. This one had only a goatee, but had a nasty gash across his face. The gnome turned at the sight of Alice and looked as though he was about to take her on. However, he grunted and flexed his arms.

"Say, by any chance are you the saviour that rabbit's been talking about?" asked the gnome with what sounded like an Irish accent.

"I wouldn't think so," said Alice.

"Oh, guess I was wrong. Then again, that rabbit never really did describe the saviour properly," said the gnome. He shrugged and turned away, using his hands to hoist himself up onto a ledge.

"By any chance could you help me?" asked Alice. "I need to find a way to shrink in size. About to the size of an ant."

The gnome placed a hand on his chin thoughtfully, stroking his goatee lovingly. He then shook his head sadly. Alice looked a little annoyed but realised there was probably hardly anyone who could help her if Wonderland was more deranged then it was before.

"Sorry, I can't help you," said the gnome, but a smirk suddenly appeared on his face. "But if you keep going through these tunnels, you'll find the Gnome Elder. He has some great knowledge and may be able to help you."

"Really?" asked Alice suspiciously. "How can I trust you?"

"I don't know. Trust is a hard concept to fully understand, and nobody really can be relied on nowadays," said the gnome. "Now, I suggest you get a move on, the guards will be coming soon since you've killed some of their buddies."

He pointed over to the dead card's body pieces lying nearby. Alice knew he was right. If a whole horde of guards arrived, it might be more than she could handle. Thanking the gnome, Alice rushed off once again into the tunnels. But this time she was finding the Gnome Elder. His name made him sound wise enough to help Alice. After some wandering through the tunnels and mineshafts, Alice came across a dilapidated hut, and outside was another gnome. This one had a scraggily white beard, covered in gunk and almost turned green by water that dripped from the ceiling. He wore a green cap on his head, and his eyes looked heavy. He had a pipe propped in his mouth.

"Excuse me?" said Alice, prompting the Gnome Elder to leap up in surprise.

"Why have you come here? Are you an agent of the Queen?!" snapped the Gnome Elder sharply.

"I wouldn't join the Queen if I was drawn and quartered!" shouted back Alice. "I have come to benefit from your wisdom!"

"Oh, I see. My apologies," said the Gnome Elder, his harsh voice becoming soft but serious. "But even blurred vision is valued by the blind. If I were clever, do you think I would hide here alone? I'm not clever, girl, just old. But still I'll help you."

"I wish to get very small, about the size of an ant or a mouse," explained Alice. "Can you help?"

"I can help you there, girl. But I will only do it for a price…" said the Gnome Elder.

"I do not possess anything of value," said Alice, feeling in her pockets. All she had was the Vorpal Blade.

"In the card guards' compound, there is a rough diamond I could use for powering my aircraft," said the Gnome Elder. "If you obtain it, we can use it to reach the Fortress of Doors, where you will find a way to become miniscule."

**…**

Alice accepted the task. The objective was surprisingly easy. Hitching a ride on a mine cart, Alice travelled through the mine tunnels until she reached a small hut. There were only five card guards in there, lounging around like drunkards. The diamond, purple in colour, was balanced on a window sill. The easiest thing to do would be to just retrieve the diamond from the window on the outside, but instead, Alice burst into the hut like an assassin.

The card guards were surprised by Alice's sudden entrance and attacked her with blunt blades. Alice made quick work of the card guards, stabbing them and tossing their corpses over their bodies. The first three cards were dead in seconds. The fourth guard was swifter, nearly taking Alice's head off with a fast swing of his axe. Alice dodged it by leaping off a table and stabbing the guard, taking him out. The final guard attempted to flee through a window, but Alice tossed her knife through the air, impaling him through the back and ending his life.

Alice picked up her bloodstained knife and retrieved the diamond. As she turned to depart, she noticed a large metal key on a table. It could be of use, so Alice decided to take that as well.

After navigating her way back through the mines, with some confusion and anger, Alice eventually returned to the spot where she had met the Gnome Elder. To her surprise and annoyance, he had disappeared. As Alice looked about for any signs of the gnome, she heard the sound of moving motors down a tunnel. Curious but careful, she treaded down the path and found herself in a large cavern where the Gnome Elder awaited her on a small hovercraft resembling a zeppelin. A large, metal propeller was strapped to the back of the hovercraft and several bits of wood and metal built into the back kept the vehicle in the air.

"You have the diamond…and the key!" cried the Gnome Elder, a gentle smile forming on his face. "Very resourceful. Rabbit's confidence in you is not misplaced."

"I hope it is not," said Alice, tossing the diamond to the Gnome Elder, who in turn placed it into a small compartment on the aircraft's form.

The Gnome Elder clambered across the aircraft to a seat where he began pedalling furiously. Alice leapt onto the front of the vehicle and sat in a small platform, where she was joined by the Cheshire Cat.

"That key you gained can open the Fortress of Doors," explained the Cheshire Cat. "Use when you can."

"It can also be used to free my clan from the oppression they are burdened with," added the Gnome Elder. "They've suffered greatly and too much."

"I'll do what I can, but it my first priority currently is to find a way to become small so I can follow the White Rabbit," said Alice. "And I won't let anything stop me."

**…**


	3. No Problem Too Small

**Author's Note: This story is a novelisation, but I doubt it will be word for word. There wouldn't be much enjoyment if the story was just a word for word script of the game, so some parts will likely be changed or expanded.**

**Chapter 3: No Problem Too Small**

_Two demented youths hung themselves side by side in the ward last night. As a result, I couldn't devote any time to Alice or any other patients. There was some dissention from the townsfolk about not wanting these suicides to be buried within city limits. After some discussion, they relented. It was agreed to bury the boys separately in a clandestine fashion. One will be buried far behind Ramsbottom church, the other in Ribchester._

**--12th September, 1873**

Dr. Wilson was awoken from his slumber by a large knock on his chamber door. Although small in size, Dr. Wilson's one-roomed home was comfortable all the same. Ever since his wife had secretly sold his house and run away with the local postman never to be seen again, Wilson had been welcomed to live in the asylum's staff quarters for many years now. Placing his glasses on his face and slipping out of bed, Dr. Wilson briefly checked his pocketwatch.

"Good gracious, it is only quarter past four in the morning!" he cried out, but nevertheless, he shuffled to his door and opened it.

There stood Nurse D, dressed in her work clothes, looking quite horrified and pale – but then again, she always looked like this. The doctor heard other voices coming from down the corridor.

"Nurse D, why did you awake me so early?" groaned Dr. Wilson.

"Apologies, doctor, but we have a situation," said Nurse D, trying her best not to sob.

"What? What situation? Come on, woman, don't leave me standing here like a scarecrow!" cried Dr. Wilson, briefly retreating back into his room to grab his dressing gown. He acknowledged it was raining and thunder rumbled in the distance.

"There is a constable waiting downstairs, there was two deaths in the wards," said Nurse D.

Alarmed, Dr. Wilson raced past Nurse D, down the corridor and down a flight of stairs, Nurse D pursuing him. Dr. Wilson reached the bottom of the stairs where a male police constable awaited him.

"Good evening, doctor. Apologies for the rude awakening, but this is a serious business," said the constable, shaking Wilson's hand vigorously.

"Good evening to you to constable," said Dr. Wilson. "Nurse D, where are the bodies?"

"Where the large crowd is…" said Nurse D. Dr. Wilson glanced past the constable down a dimly lit corridor, where a large group of staff and patients stared through a door, talking loudly.

Wilson ran down the corridor, barging his way through the gathered crowd. The police constable followed and tried to usher everyone back to their rooms. Nurse D looked away at the sight that awaited them in the empty ward. Two shadows hung from the metal pipes running along the ceiling of the room, ropes tied around their necks. Lightning flashed into the room, revealing the forms of two hung children, looks of insanity implanted on their faces. Dr. Wilson felt like fainting, but he was too horrified to do even that. Groaning, he rubbed a hand through his hair and turned away from the hanging corpses to Nurse D and the policeman.

"How long have they been like this?" he hissed.

"Since about two hours ago," explained Nurse D. "Nurse Campbell discovered them dead like this before she left for home, and immediately alerted half the staff and called the police."

"These demented patients of yours, doctor," sighed the constable, still trying to keep people from gawking at the hanging bodies. "If I were you, I'd lock them all up. Particularly the noisy ones."

"Well, it is a good thing that you are not me," replied Dr. Wilson, annoyed by the constable's remark.

"What should be done?" asked Nurse D.

"Get the bodies moved out of the asylum as quickly as possible," said Dr. Wilson, glancing briefly at the hanging bodies. "They should be at the funeral parlour by tomorrow morning."

"Yes doctor," said Nurse D.

"Have you checked my other patients yet? I don't want any of them hearing about this incident otherwise we may have a whole ward full of these!" said Dr. Wilson.

"I'll do it now," said Nurse D, and she rushed out of the room. Dr. Wilson decided he would check them as well.

He closed the door to the ward, the lightning flashing against the corpses and casting haunting shadows across floor and walls. Quickly checking multiple wards to see if his patients were all asleep. As he finished his rounds, he remembered one person he had forgotten to visit: Alice.

Striding through the halls of the asylum, Dr. Wilson approached Alice's door to already find Nurse D closing it. She turned and smiled as he approached.

"How is she?" asked Dr. Wilson concerned. "I don't want these murders to go into a worse state than she is already."

"She's fine, same as she always has been," said Nurse D. "Although she was talking in her sleep. Something about a fortress of doors and the need to become small."

"I see. I expect more policemen will come to ask me questions regarding the dead," said Dr. Wilson gruffly. "Meaning I will not be able to look after my patients, including Alice."

"I'll watch over them until the enquiries are over tomorrow," said Nurse D.

"Thank you," replied Dr. Wilson, and with a yawn, returned to his chamber. However, he was interested in what Alice meant by becoming small.

* * *

The Gnome Elder's aircraft flew through darkness, passing large rock walls on the way to the Fortress of Doors. Large rocky stalactites hung from the dark ceiling, while the aircraft weaved in and out of. Alice sat in the front of the aircraft, the Cheshire Cat perched in her lap. She stroked what was left of the cat's fur, but all she really felt was his bony structure. As the aircraft passed a wall, Alice spied something out of the corner of her eye – a child. A boy to be precise, but from a distance, Alice couldn't really make out his figure. He was jumping up and down in hysterics. Alice didn't see any more of the boy as the aircraft's structure blocked him from view.

"There's a Skool inside the fortress, where you'll find certain items for creating a concoction that will make you small," explained the Gnome Elder.

"What items exactly?" asked Alice.

"Items, items girl! You'll know when you see them," said the Gnome Elder. "Speaking of seeing things, we best avoid the card guards' notice…"

The aircraft was flying towards a large rock wall where card guards patrolled. One shouted out something, pointing in the direction of the aircraft. The other guards began shrieking too and hurled spears at the ship. The elder attempted to move the aircraft out of harm's way, but too he was not quick enough, as one of the spears shot through the air like a bullet and pierced the blimp, ripping a hole through it.

"Damn it, we've been seen!" said the Gnome Elder. "And shot!"

"Get this thing under control!" cried Alice as the Gnome Elder struggled to keep the aircraft airbourne. "Otherwise we're sitting ducks!"

"More like falling ducks, I suggest abandoning this ship," said the Cheshire Cat, disappearing into the air.

"Hold on!" cried the Gnome Elder. "As soon as the fortress is in sight, I suggest you jump."

The aircraft began to lower in altitude. The Gnome Elder pulled with all his might, sending the aircraft sideways past the large wall, in the direction of the Fortress of Doors.

The Fortress of Doors did not look all that impressive. It was suspended on a large clump of rock built into the rocky walls that made up the dark cavern. The fortress only appeared to be made out of three high walls made from stone, but with many card guards stationed on top. Watch towers were built on the ends of the walls, but doorways underneath may lead into an unseen section. Strange large red things resembling tentacles were extending outwards of random points of the fortress. Inside the fortress was an old schoolhouse, which seemed to be moving from side to side slightly, as if dancing.

"Now would be a best time to jump!" cried the Gnome Elder as the aircraft careened towards the western side of the fortress. Alice didn't require a warning, and she sprung from the aircraft's front, sailing through the air and landing on the fortress safely, rolling across the ground as she struck it. Recovering quickly, she looked up to see the aircraft smash into the side of the fortress. The Gnome Elder had managed to leap out of the ship as it smashed to pieces against the fortress' stone walls, landing on the wall not far from Alice. Alice joined the Gnome Elder as card guards moved in on the scene.

"There's more to do then you said," said Alice, drawing out her Vorpal Blade.

"No need for sarcasm, my memory is not as good as it used to be," said the Gnome Elder. "I'll meet you inside the Skool!"

The Gnome Elder dodged his way past the oncoming guards and sprung into an open window of the school. Alice was left to fend for herself as the card guards approached. One swung an axe at Alice, but she had developed enough survival skills in such a short time that the blade didn't even faze her as it nearly chopped off her arm. Alice dodged the card guard and with a strong slash of her blade, cut the guard in two. A second one met the sharp end of her blade and quickly died. A third simply charged in screaming, so Alice tripped him up and pushed him over the side of the fortress, sending him to his demise. Alice spotted something behind her and ducked just as a fourth guard was about to bring his mace down upon her head. Crouching, Alice swung her leg around, knocking the card guard down. Seizing his mace, Alice brought it down on the guard's head and clobbered him senseless. Dropping the mace, Alice headed for the window, only to be struck by a powerful blast of wind.

Falling onto her rear, Alice looked up and saw a mutilated banshee bearing down upon her. It wore red and black rags, its hands extremely wrinkly and withered. Its face could only be described as horrific, cut all other, its eyes psychotic. It was a Boojum; the ghostly remains of all that was left of those killed who opposed the Queen's tyrannical reign. Alice had encountered these before during one of her many trips to Wonderland when she was still a child, and knew they could not be killed since they were already dead. Dodging another shriek from the Boojum, Alice dived through the Skool window too safety, the window shutting behind her.

* * *

As soon as Alice stepped into the Skool's main room, she was greeted by a familiar sight. Standing in the middle of the room were three guards, but their bodies were splattered with red liquid. But it was not blood that seemed appropriate at the time, it was red paint. These three guards were the first ones Alice had met during her first visit to Wonderland. The three turned upon seeing Alice and let out surprised gasps.

"You!" cried one of them, a Three of Diamonds.

"Yes, me," said Alice in reply.

"This is a surprise, if it isn't Alice," said the second guard, a Seven of Hearts.

"We haven't seen you in a while," said the third guard, a Two of Hearts.

"Whose allegiance are you three with?" asked Alice, not letting her own guard down.

"Well, we're supposed to be in alliance with the Queen, but we have no quarrel against you," said the Two of Hearts. "And since you previously saved our lives from the Queen, we owe you one."

"Three actually," said the Seven of Hearts. "I'm joining you in the battle for freedom."

"Me too," added the Two of Hearts throwing down his weapons.

"Thanks," said Alice, almost sounding grateful. She was of course, but since Wonderland had changed a lot since her last visit some odd ten years ago – things were not the same as they once were, including her. She seemed to have a habit of distrusting others, even the White Rabbit and Cheshire Cat.

"I suppose I'm in too, I've going nothing to lose…except my head…" said the Three of Diamonds.

"Don't jinx it…" said the Two of Hearts.

"TRAITORS!" shrieked a card guard from above, leaping over a balcony to face them.

This card guard was different from all the other Alice had seen. His expected razor thin card body with surprisingly muscular and bulky clad in black and crimson armour, spikes jutting out of every possible angle. His head was encased in a domed helmet that covered his head, but exposing his ugly face that was puffed up with anger. His bloodshot eyes stared menacingly at Alice and her new allies, who quivered in fear.

"The Queen will have your heads!" shouted the card guard. "I will execute you for the glory that is the Queen of Hearts!"

The continuous mention of the queen was making Alice's blood boil and she glared at the card guard with her emerald eyes. She slowly drew the Vorpal Blade from her apron pocket and hid it behind her back.

"Who are you?" asked Alice, addressing the armoured card guard.

"Commander Heartbleed, one of the Elite Card Commanders under the service of the Queen of Hearts," announced the card guard, smirking proudly as he introduced himself. "I am also one of the Queen's six generals, and swear undying loyalty to her…unlike these three."

Commander Heartbleed glared at the three cards before him, his eyes full of hatred and anger.

"They must pay for their transgressions and face the extended wrath of the Queen," he continued. "And I shall be the one to execute them."

Alice watched unimpressed as Commander Heartbleed brought out an overlarge sledgehammer, massive and well-built, both ends covered in small but sharp spikes, and stained in blood. Obviously, Commander Heartbleed had executed a lot of people during his time. Alice grunted under her breathe in frustration. She didn't have time for this. She needed to locate the Gnome Elder to locate the ingredients needed to become small so she could then catch up to the White Rabbit. She could just see the rabbit sitting on a hill somewhere waiting for her impatiently.

"You will not harm them!" she shouted suddenly. The three guards looked at her in shock. Commander Heartbleed scoffed at her.

"You? A little girl?" laughed Commander Heartbleed, underestimating Alice. "What can you do?"

"This!" cried Alice and in a light fast reaction, she tossed her Vorpal Blade through the air. It pierced Commander Heartbleed's armour right through the chest. He cringed in pain, keeping his path shut so Alice could not hear him cry with pain. He stumbled backwards, nearly dropping his sledgehammer. Seeing this as a perfect opportunity, the three card guards tossed the spears they were carrying at Heartbleed. While they did bounce off his armour, they left gaping holes in Heartbleed's armour. Heartbleed removed the blade from his chest and threw it to the floor.

"You are going to pay for that!" snarled Commander Heartbleed.

"Not on our watches, well, if we had any…" said the Seven of Hearts.

Alice watched in surprise as the three card guards vanished in puffs of smoke, replaced by three ordinary playing cards lying on the floor. Alice scooped them up and winced briefly in pain as she realised she had cut her finger on the edge of one of the cards and watched as a small drop of blood fell from the cut on her index finger to the floor below.

In a dark, pitch-black room, a demon awoke, its eye glowing red in the darkness. It sniffed the air, and a grin formed on its malformed face, exposing bloodstained fangs, drool practically foaming out of the mouth.

"I smell human blood…she is here…and she will soon be mine!"

* * *

Alice realised the playing cards were razor sharp, and then she got an idea. As Commander Heartbleed managed to recover, he looked up to see Alice throwing the cards at him like shuriken. The card blades flew through the air like knives and slashed at Heartbleed's armour several times before returning back to Alice's hand like boomerangs. Heartbleed stood as still as a statue and flinched as several parts of his armour tumbled off and hit the floor. In an instant he gasped and bolted for the nearest door.

"I'll be back! And you'll be dead upon my return!" he cried as he vanished through a door.

The room was left in silence. Looking around Alice decided to head through a door to her left, picking up her Vorpal Blade as she went. She entered through the door, her blade at the ready just in case she met any foes. Instead, she came into a sloped room, an auditorium to be precise. A large line of chairs stood in the middle of the room, leading down to a wooden stage at the front of the room. Alice spotted the Gnome Elder sitting in a front row chair, puffing from his pipe. Sighing from relief, Alice walked quickly down an aisle to meet him. The Gnome Elder saw her coming and stood up with a smile.

"You did not tell me there was some big shot hear with a hammer," said Alice.

"I didn't know either, I'm not as smart as I look," said the Gnome Elder gruffly. "Your cat friend is the one with the brains."

"Mostly…" said Alice. She looked about briefly just in case the Cheshire Cat popped up, but he didn't.

"Anyway, there is a way to get small as I mentioned earlier," explained the Gnome Elder. "In the library, there is a Book of Bizarre Things which will give a list of ingredients on how to create your small potion."

"Good, but where is the library?" asked Alice.

"It is just down that corridor," said the Gnome Elder, pointing to a door nearby with his pipe. He suddenly gasped loudly. "Quick, run!"

Alice turned and looked up to the back of the room. Commander Heartbleed stormed into the room, a maddened expression on his red face. A group of guards wielding spears and axes followed.

"Seize her!" roared Commander Heartbleed, leading the charge down the room towards Alice.

Some of the guards leapt across the chairs to get to Alice quicker. She ducked quickly as one tried to take her out with a jab from his spear, only to receive the Vorpal Blade's silver end through his abdomen. He keeled over dead. Another card practically sailed through the air like a kite to try and tackle Alice. As he was about to come down upon her, she stabbed him as well, killing him. Seeing there were a good twenty card guards coming, including Commander Heartbleed wielding his giant sledgehammer, Alice had no choice but to flee through the set of doors after the Gnome Elder.

* * *

Alice burst into another room, collapsing onto the floor. Upon looking up, she saw she was in the school's library. Unbelievably tall bookshelves were everywhere, and most of the books were actually painted into the frames to look realistic. Alice noticed the Gnome Elder in the distance racing up a tilted bookcase like a staircase, heading to an upper level of the library. Hearing the card guards coming, she raced across the wooden floor and clambered as fast as she could go after the bookshelf onto the second floor. Upon reaching the top, she turned to see Commander Heartbleed and his troops burst in. Heartbleed spotted her and screamed angrily.

"Get her!" he shouted.

"But I'm afraid of heights…" said one of the card guards.

Commander Heartbleed growled and butchered the guard with a swift smack of his hammer. Alice was rather surprised by this. Obviously Heartbleed was willing to kill his own men to achieve a goal. The rest of the card guards charged forwards to approach the bookshelf, only for it to fall right down, preventing them from reaching Alice. Commander Heartbleed looked like he was about to rip his own head off in frustration.

"Hey, over here!" cried the Gnome Elder.

The Gnome Elder stood on a bookshelf with the Cheshire Cat. The two stood in front of an old book, the cover resembling a monstrous face, red eyes and fangs on the surface. Alice raced over to them, careful not to fall off the bookshelf.

"Is this it?" asked Alice.

"Yes," said the Gnome Elder. "This is the Book of Bizarre Things!"

Alice smiled briefly before approaching the book. She tried to open the cover, but the book stayed shut, as if it was magically sealed. She scanned the book's surface briefly for a lock or a protective cover seal, but there were none. Puzzled, she turned to the Cheshire Cat for answers.

"There's no lock, but it won't open. It's stuck!" said Alice.

"Treat it like a Chinese Box or a stubborn lid," said the Cheshire Cat, speaking in riddle again. "A touch in the right place might do the trick."

Alice thought for a moment on how to deal with this. She eyed the card guards running about on the ground floor. A sinister smile appeared on her face. In one strong kick, Alice knocked the book off the bookcase. It tumbled towards the floor, right where Commander Heartbleed and his troops stood. Commander Heartbleed saw the book coming and he leapt out of the way, as did some of the others guards. The unlucky ones were crushed by the falling book as it hit the floor with a loud thud. Heartbleed grumbled angrily.

"You call _that _a tap?!" cried the Cheshire Cat sarcastically. "Good thing I didn't suggest force, you might have pulverised it."

Alice shrugged and made her way down to the book. Commander Heartbleed went to attack her but she angrily turned and glared at him.

"Do you mind? I'm busy!" she snapped.

Commander Heartbleed stopped and angrily waved his hammer threateningly, before accidentally slinging it over his head backwards. He watched it as it slammed into a bookshelf, and a rainfall of books showered down upon his head. Alice couldn't help but laugh out loud as the card was buried in a pile of books.

"He sure likes to bury himself in his work," she joked.

The Cheshire Cat found the joke funny and laughed too, his grin getting even wider. The Gnome Elder smiled briefly and cleared his throat, hoping to get back to the situation at hand.

"Anyway, what ingredients are needed?" he asked.

Alice composed herself and examined the current page. Ironically, it was the ingredients page for the small potion.

"Mushrooms, poppies, sugar and space, all those things are very nice," spoke Alice, reading from the book. "When combined in the right mixture, makes a growing small elixir."

"Ah, I know where we can get these ingredients," said the Gnome Elder, a smile on his face.

"Well I suggest we get out of here before Mr. Happypants get up," said Alice, looking over to the still pile of books.

The three slinked away, leaving Heartbleed underneath the pile of books to await help.

* * *

The three made their way through several rooms, but the shouts of Commander Heartbleed began echoing throughout the rooms again. As Alice ran, led by the Gnome Elder, she spotted what appeared to be a mushroom lying up in one of the rafters. She skidded to a halt and stopped to examine the mushroom.

"Cat!" she cried, pointing to the mushrooms. The Cheshire Cat grinned, disappeared, and then reappeared with the mushroom. The Gnome Elder took the mushroom and examined it.

"Excellent, this mushroom will do nicely," said the Gnome Elder. "Now, I will go to the science labs to prepare the elixir. I am sure there may be poppies in the gymnasium. No guards go in there, they don't want to lose weight."

"Very well, I'll go there," said Alice.

The group parted ways. Alice raced off to the gymnasium with the Cheshire Cat in tow. It was rather simple to locate the gymnasium – it was the one room in the school not filled with card guards. In the centre of the room was a rather large lollypop, presumably made from poppy leaves.

"Pardon me for asking, but who would want to eat something made from flowers?" asked Alice.

"Alice, might I remind you that half of the food you eat, if not all of it, has some traces of plants in it?" asked the Cheshire Cat.

"Touché…" said Alice sternly, looking around with an annoyed expression.

As Alice approached the lollypop, she noticed movement on the rafters above and motioned to the Cheshire Cat. His yellow eyes picked out the unknown creature moving about above. He eyed Alice removing the Vorpal Blade from her pocket ready to attack is necessary. The creature was right above them. Alice moved quickly and tossed her blade upwards, striking the rafter above. There was a loud yelp and the creature tumbled off the rafter, landing on the floor. Alice and the Cheshire Cat gasped in surprise.

The creature was no card guard or Boojum, but a large brown mouse or rat. It looked rather startled as it looked at the two.

"Mr. Mouse?" asked Alice upon recognising the mouse.

"Alice? Goodness gracious child, you've grown," said Mr. Mouse, smiling brightly. "But what are you doing here?"

"I need the ingredients to make a growing small potion in order to pursue the White Rabbit," explained Alice. "But I need this poppy lollypop to complete it."

"Oh, dear…I need that lollypop in order to help cure the poor Dodo," said Mr. Mouse. "He has fallen so ill ever since the queen took over."

"Oh…well, I suppose we could break it in two," said Alice, sounding rather objective to her idea. But nevertheless, Alice grabbed the poppy lolly and managed to snap it in two, handing one half to Mr. Mouse.

Just as the room fell in an awkward silence, the doors of the room burst open and in stepped Commander Heartbleed, his face bruised but as red as ever. He held his sledgehammer in front of him.

"You will die!" shouted Commander Heartbleed.

And with that he charged, roaring like a lion as he ran across the room towards Alice, the Cheshire Cat and Mr. Mouse. As Alice looked up quickly to see her blade still stuck in the rafter above, she drew her card shuriken. However, as she was about to toss them at Command Heartbleed, the Cheshire Cat spoke up.

"Here's a riddle..." he began.

"Not now!" cried Alice angrily.

"When is a croquet mallet like a billy club?" asked the Cheshire Cat.

Alice looked down. The Cheshire Cat held up a flamingo-shaped croquet mallet, used by the Queen of Hearts and her court during croquet games, well, at least when they used to. Alice took the croquet mallet from the cat and examined it briefly. It was rather heavy and the surface of the mallet felt like solid rock.

"I'll you how…" said the Cheshire Cat, his grin widening. "Whenever you want it to be."

Alice smiled and raised the croquet mallet like a club or axe and swung it to meet Heartbleed's sledgehammer. The two weapons met with a loud bang. Heartbleed and Alice struggled to overpower eachother, the two not moving an inch, both with no intention on backing down. The Cheshire Cat watched the two with a grin, but he then looked up to the Vorpal Blade stuck in the rafter. He vanished briefly and then reappeared with the blade. He looked up to see that Heartbleed was slowly pushing Alice backwards, her shoes ripping up the floorboards as she was pushed back. As Alice grunted in anger, she released this lock of weapons and instead resorted to beating Heartbleed over the head with the mallet. Heartbleed's head was protected by his helmet so all he felt were vibrations. Laughing, Heartbleed brushed off Alice's attacks and raised his hammer to crush Alice's head.

"We end this now!" shouted Commander Heartbleed triumphantly.

"Alice!" cried Mr. Mouse is horror.

"Relax," said the Cheshire Cat grinning and with a simple toss of the paw, the Vorpal Blade was grabbed by Alice. With a quick thrust, she stabbed the Vorpal Blade right through a hole in Commander Heartbleed's armour.

Commander Heartbleed roared with pain as the blade struck him in the side of the chest. Alice pushed the blade in further, twisting it one hundred and eighty degrees, causing blood to squirt out. Stumbling backwards, Commander Heartbleed dropped his sledgehammer as Alice brutally removed her blade, ripping off some of the armour on Heartbleed's body. Seizing his sledgehammer, Alice performed an incredibly spinning manoeuvre, twirling a full 360 degree angle and smashing the sledgehammer right into Heartbleed's head. The force sent the general flying backwards through the air, ripping up the floorboards as he crashed to the floor, his armour splintering to pieces as he landed. He slid to stop at the far wall, blood pouring from his body. His face had been butchered by the hammer. He lay motionless, but he managed to heave his right arm into the air, a clenched fist at the end.

"Long…live…the Queen…" he whispered and then his arm went limp, crashing to the floor.

Alice stood still for a moment and then tossed Heartbleed's sledgehammer away. She wiped her blade of blood again using her dress and placed it back in her pocket. She managed to fit the croquet mallet in her other pocket with some difficulty, the end of the mallet poking out of the top. She turned to the Cheshire Cat and Mr. Mouse. Mr. Mouse looked rather horrified but relieved at what had just happened.

"Perhaps maybe we can get a move on now," said Alice.

* * *

Later, Alice, the Cheshire Cat and Mr. Mouse stepped into the science lab to find the Gnome Elder fending off a pair of two card guards using a plank of wood. One card guard lay already dead on the floor, a large bruise on his forehead. Alice raced in to aide the Gnome Elder, easily defeating the guards by knocking them out with the croquet mallet.

"You're lucky I passed by," said Alice with a smile.

"Meaning what? I was going to say you're lucky to have found me," said the Gnome Elder, dropping the plank of wood he held. "Look, I found the last ingredient: Sugar-spice drops."

"Whenever I run into you I seem to find more trouble," said Alice. "Is there any Jumbo Grow about?"

"Conveniently, yes," said the Gnome Elder and he pointed to a cupboard in the corner of the room.

Alice approached it and opened the doors. In the cupboard was a glass chemical flask with a green bubbling liquid inside. A sticky note labelled "Jumbo Grow" was on the front of the flask. Alice removed the flask and placed it on a table beside the Gnome Elder.

"Excellent, we're set. This condenser here can mix the potion, although it probably isn't much good for anything else though," said the Gnome Elder.

He and Alice tossed the mushrooms, the sugar-spice drops and the poppy lolly in the condenser. To Alice's surprise, Mr. Mouse stepped up and tossed his lolly piece in as well.

"Wait a minute, don't you need that?" asked Alice in surprise.

"You're needs are far greater than mine," said Mr. Mouse. "Dodo has been ill for years and has been coping quite well. Besides, I'm sure there are some other poppies around here somewhere."

"Thank you," said Alice.

"Now, girl, insert the rest of that Jumbo Grow into the condenser," instructed the Gnome Elder. The ingredients should reverse the formula so you can shrink instead of growing.

"I'd prefer to grow smaller than get stuck inside a building again," said Alice, thinking about how she previously got stuck in the White Rabbit's house long ago.

"And we all know how that went," said the Cheshire Cat, grinning at Alice, who glared back with a frown.

Alice added the Jumbo Size to the mix. The condenser did its magic, a bunsen burner heated the ingredients which were reduced to a purple liquid and shot down into the beaker. Alice took the beaker and smiled in it. She finally had the potion she required to find the White Rabbit.

"Now, it is time to depart," said the Gnome Elder. "I suggest escaping through the observatory. I must return to my people in order to remove the card guards from the village."

"Thank you for your help," said Alice. "I hope we can meet again."

"Don't hope, girl, you already know we shall," said the Gnome Elder, and with that he vanished in a puff of smoke.

Alice smiled as the image of the Gnome Elder appeared in her mind. Her smile faded when she saw another group of card guards burst in, wielding menacing expressions.

"Time to go," said Alice. "Which way to the observatory?"

"I know the way, follow me!" cried Mr. Mouse, racing out of a pair of doors. Alice chased after him, ducking as spears flew over her head.

The trio of girl, cat and mouse raced through the schoolhouse as fast as their legs could, the rally of vengeful card guards pursuing. The trio burst through a pair of doors into the observatory.

"I strongly advise that we drink that potion and get out of here before we all become fur coats," said Mr. Mouse, beginning to panic.

Even though Alice was in a hurry, she always put others before her and gave the potion to Mr. Mouse who took a large gulp of the liquid within the beaker. She handed it then to the Cheshire Cat who took the smallest swig imaginable. Not wanting any of the guards to come after her or her friends, Alice threw the beaker to her lips and drank the whole formula down in two gulps. She dropped the beaker to the floor, the glass that made it shattering as it hit. Alice suddenly felt dizzy and lightheaded, as she had first done when previously drinking a potion in Wonderland. She knew she was shrinking, since everything around her was getting bigger and bigger. Eventually she stopped shrinking and was now about the size of an average mouse of insect, as were now the Cheshire Cat and Mr. Mouse.

"That felt bizarre, probably because I haven't felt it for years," said Alice.

She was off straight away towards a telescope, the Cheshire Cat and Mr. Mouse following. Now much smaller, it took Alice a couple of minutes to actually reach the telescope. Balancing on it, she walked quickly along it and stopped on top to look for a way out. There didn't appear to be one.

"The Gnome Elder said there was an exit here. Where is it?" she asked hastily.

"Down there," stated Mr. Mouse, pointing to a strange swirling pool of colours located on a table. "It's a doorway to the Vale of Tears, which I recall you created Alice."

"Thanks for the memories," groaned Alice, recalling how she had grown gigantic and cried a river before shrinking, and becoming very wet in the process.

Removing the unpleasant memory from her mind, Alice bravely jumped off the end of the telescope and bombdived into the portal of swirling colours, the Cheshire Cat and Mr. Mouse following. Alice hoped that she would find the White Rabbit on the other side of the portal, but something deep down was telling her otherwise.

**…**


	4. Black Pepper

**I am still adding in the entries from the casebook, but I am leaving out to dates so I can mix the parts around a bit and match them to the events going on in Wonderland.**

**Chapter 4: Black Pepper**

_When she is so inclined, Alice can draw. This morning I was greeted by another of Alice's artistic phantasmagorias. What is it she's rendering? I can only think it is a depiction of her nightmares of Hell._

Dr. Wilson sat in his office, looking very tired. After last night's suicides, he had not got a wink of sleep, the images of the hung children flashing constantly in his mind, along with poor Alice sleeping in her bed. Heavy bags were under his weary eyes. He was about to nod off when a knock on his door drew him out of his drowsiness. Dr. Wilson looked up and composed himself.

"Enter," he said, and Nurse D stepped into the room.

"Good morning, doctor," said Nurse D with a smile.

"Is it, Nurse D? I couldn't get any sleep," groaned Dr. Wilson. "There was too much commotion downstairs. Anyway, what can I do for you?"

"You need to sign these papers to allow those poor things to be buried," said Nurse D, placing two pieces of paper on the desk.

"Why me? Can't the Superintendent sign them," ranted Dr. Wilson angrily, examining the papers.

"He can't because he's never here," said Nurse D with a frown on her face.

Nurse D was correct. The Superintendent was an apparently very busy man and even though he was in charge of the asylum, he hardly ever was there and only appeared once every several months for an inspection, although he only did the floors above ground. After the Superintendent, Dr. Wilson was one of the most trusted people in the asylum, often seen as an administrator of some sorts, although he did not really like the idea of being in charge of the entire facility.

Annoyed, Dr. Wilson grabbed a fountain pen from his desk and scribbled his signature on the two sheets of paper. He handed them to Nurse D, who turned to leave. However, she stopped and turned back, pulling a third piece of paper. Dr. Wilson noticed and let out another groan.

"What's this one?" he asked.

"The picture Alice drew a couple of days ago," said Nurse D. She placed a yellowed piece of paper on the desk, another weird sketch drawn on it. Nurse D turned and left this time, shutting the door behind her, taking the sheets with her.

Dr. Wilson picked up the drawing to examine it. Alice had given him the drawing several days ago, and he had forgotten to take it with him. The drawing seemed to show a large forest of some sort, a very large forest to be precise, since everything in the drawing was massive – the grass, the trees, the flowers and the mushrooms. However, the scenery was not pretty but rather dark and scary. Dr. Wilson was not sure, but it looked like a flower had an eyeball in it, replacing the bud.

With a thoughtful look on his face, Dr. Wilson unlocked and opened a draw on his desk and brought out his casebook on Alice, an old book with a red leather cover. He skimmed through the page, locating what he was looking for: The sketch Alice had drawn on one of her first days of movement. The one of the skeletal, tattooed, grinning cat reclining on a tree.

Examining the two sketches, Dr. Wilson sighed heavily and then placed the second sketch along side the first, placing his casebook back in the draw which he locked.

"That poor girl," he said to himself. "Who knows what kind of hell she is trapped in? Nevertheless, it is my duty to help her."

Dr. Wilson got up, pulled on his coat and headed out of his office in the direction of Alice's chamber.

…

As Dr. Wilson strode towards Alice's door, he was greeted with what appeared to be some sort of commotion. Two male orderlies were carrying a rather ugly nurse down the hall, and it looked like she had been battered pretty badly. She smelt horrendously of pepper. Nurse D and another orderly stood in front of Alice's door, which had been bolted. A concerned look appeared on Dr. Wilson's face as he approached the two.

"What happened?" he asked immediately.

"That patient of yours went crazy and attacked the nurse," said the orderly. "First these hangings, and now this girl attacking staff members. This whole place is going to pot!"

Before Dr. Wilson could get a word in, the orderly walked away shaking his head and muttering stuff under his breath. Knowing he would not get any information out of the orderly even if he chased him down the hallway, Dr. Wilson turned to Nurse D for answers.

"I'll ask someone who actually listens," said Dr. Wilson. "Now, Nurse D, would you be so kind to tell me what happened? Why is Alice's door bolted?"

"Well, I just got here a moment ago, but the orderlies said that Alice attacked a nurse for no reason. She addressed her as "Duchess". The orderlies managed to save the nurse and bolted the room," explained Nurse D.

Nurse D walked away, leaving Dr. Wilson to stare through the barred glass window into Alice's room, seeing the demented girl strapped to her bed, trying to break free, screaming out nonsensical words. Dr. Wilson could make out some words like "Duchess" and something called a "Mock Turtle".

"Alice, what has happened to you in your hellish nightmare?" asked Dr. Wilson to Alice, although she did not hear him due to her screaming.

* * *

Alice slowly opened her eyes and found the world was spinning, not mention her head was throbbing. Managing to get a grasp on her surroundings, Alice managed to bring herself to her feet. She was still small, due to the large grass stems that were around her. Before was a giant wall of stone, curved ledges leading up to the top. A large waterfall was gushing over into a small river below. Alice's attention was then drawn to the two other creatures that were with her, the Cheshire Cat, grinning as always, and a scruffy looking Mr. Mouse

"Where are we?" asked Alice.

"A place which you helped create," said the Cheshire Cat.

"Don't start talking riddles," groaned Alice.

"You may recall on your first visit to Wonderland that you cried a pool of tears," explained Mr. Mouse. "It expanded and became a large water system. To the big it is a small pond, but to the small, it is a river system."

Alice raised an eyebrow briefly, expressing a brief look of self-achievement. She moved closer to the river at the bottom of the waterfall. She heard the Cheshire Cat and Mr. Mouse begin to argue, but her attention was drawn to a piece of wood which tumbled from the waterfall into the river. Part of it was charred, a flame burning at it. Alice watched it go on and then noticed more pieces of wood following, getting bigger and bigger, and all either burnt ashen black or on fire. Alice's eyes widened as an assortment of burning items fell into the river, all burning. The water turned black from the ash, and suddenly, the whole river burst into a stream of flames. A loud pouring noise caught Alice's attention and she gazed up to the waterfall. The waterfall evaporated as a new waterfall of lava poured down towards Alice.

She sprung back a few feet backwards as the lava crashed into the flaming river, overflowing the banks. Alice blinked and the whole world changed into a nightmarish land, all burnt and destroyed. Flaming corpses lied everywhere, the clouds were grey and orange from the flames. Alice heard horrific screams from the distance. She looked up at the lava waterfall and saw that it was now pouring out of a giant teacup, held aloft by a humongous figure, his greened face hidden under a large hat but a malicious grin on his face. Alice took several steps backwards in fright and a clawed hand grabbed her shoulder from behind. Alice jumped and reeled around to come face to face with a horrific-looking White Rabbit, parts of his face skinless and one of his ears missing. His eyes bulged out of his head and he stared at Alice. He spoke to her in a deep demonic voice.

"Save us, Alice!" he cried, his bottom jaw suddenly hung loose as grotesque fluids spilled out of his mouth. The White Rabbit then dropped dead and his body melted into nothingness. Her heart pulsating, Alice looked around at the hell around her and then she turned back to face the rock wall and waterfall. The entire rock face imploded and collapsed as a billion red tentacles in every size imaginable slithered out of the flames and rock and headed for Alice in one force. Alice's emerald eyes widened to full capacity as the tentacles moved towards her. Another demonic voice roared out of the flames as the tentacles ensnared Alice.

"YOU WILL LOSE YOURSELF FOREVER!"

Alice screamed.

"ALICE!" shouted a voice.

Alice snapped back to reality. The river and rockface were normal, and the Cheshire Cat and Mr. Mouse had her on the ground, staring down at her with worried concerns. The Cheshire Cat was surprisingly not grinning and his face was engulfed in concern and worry.

"Alice! Are you alright?" he asked.

Alice remained silent. The horrific images she had seen were not leaving her mind. However, her emerald eyes made out the Cheshire Cat and she reached out for his paw. He made life easier and brought his paw to hers. Alice's eye darted about wildly trying to identify him.

"Cheshire-puss?" she asked.

The Cheshire Cat frowned.

"Please refrain from calling me that," said the Cheshire Cat.

Alice couldn't help but chuckle, something she had not done for ages. Mr. Mouse breathed a sigh of relief and looked up to the waterfall, seemingly seeing something.

"The White Rabbit!" he cried.

Alice heard the name of her friend being called as he sat up suddenly. The image of the mutilated White Rabbit flashed in her mind briefly, and she stared at Mr. Mouse with a maddened expression.

"The White Rabbit! Where is he? Is he okay?!" cried Alice.

The Cheshire Cat and Mr. Mouse looked at her with shock and concern. Mr. Mouse, not wishing to likely get throttled, pointed towards the waterfall. Alice followed his pointed paw and managed to spot what appeared to be the White Rabbit climbing swiftly up the rockface. Within seconds, Alice was up on her feet and racing for the rockface.

"Hey, wait!" cried Mr. Mouse.

"See you at the top," said the Cheshire Cat and vanished. Not seeing many options, Mr. Mouse pursued Alice, chasing her on all fours.

Alice was already waiting her way up the cliff, daringly leaping across large gaps to ledges to continue her ascent. Mr. Mouse soon caught up and the two scaled the rock wall quite easily. Two boulders rolled down slope to meet them, but Alice and Mr. Mouse managed to leap into a small hole to avoid the boulders. Eventually, the two made it to the top of the cliff, but the White Rabbit was nowhere in sight.

Instead, there were several new foes to be fought. There were giant ants, red in colour. They wore blue naval uniforms and wielded muskets. Others were large ladybirds who seemed to be mechanical. Their bodies, legs, wings and heads were all mechanical. Their eyes were glowing green orbs that were hidden behind grey discs that moved together to form blinks. Once the ladybirds were considered heralds of luck in Wonderland, but the many years of alteration changed them into servants of the Queen of Hearts.

The ants all came at once, charging with their muskets. Alice danced her way through the ants and managed to take one out with a walloping of her croquet mallet. Another one tried to gut her with its musket, but she managed avoid it at the last second and brutally stabbed the ant through the head with the Vorpal Blade. Green blood spewing out of its head, the ant shrieked in pain and toppled over. A third ant backed off and tried to shoot Alice with its musket. Charing forward, Alice raced towards the ant, smashed its musket away and then with a powerful blow of the Vorpal Blade, bisected the ant.

The ladybirds hovered about in midair, flying in a circle like buzzards. Alice gaped as the ladybirds suddenly gave birth to acorns and dropped them towards Alice. Thinking they were just normal acorns and proceeded to slice through them, until Mr. Mouse shoved her aside, as the acorns hit the ground and exploded.

"Those aren't real acorns!" cried Alice.

"Isn't that obvious?" asked Mr. Mouse.

The ladybirds continued to bombard the ground around Alice and Mr. Mouse with the exploding acorns. Alice dodged a bomb and noticed the Cheshire Cat appear, grinning again. Annoyed, Alice frowned at the cat.

"What are you grinning at?" she snapped.

"You are clearly outnumbered. The ladybirds communicate using some form of signal and they will swarm like the insects they are. I suggest you retreat," said the Cheshire Cat, pointing down a narrow path near a river leading to the waterfall. He vanished afterwards.

Not seeing much argument in the cat's advice, Alice took off away from the ladybirds and raced off along the riverside, Mr. Mouse following.

* * *

Alice and Mr. Mouse reached the end of the river, which opened out in a relatively large pool. A large statue that was covered in moss and greatly eroded. The statue seemed to be a monument of Alice, crouching by the poolside. Mr. Mouse stopped for a breather and turned back to see if there were any ladybirds or ants following.

"I think we're alone," said Mr. Mouse.

"What's all this then?" asked Alice to someone other than Mr. Mouse.

"Pardon?" asked Mr. Mouse, turning around to face Alice but her talking to someone else a little way up the bank.

Alice looked up at a strange creature, who looked like a cross-breed between a bull and a turtle. This was the Mock Turtle, a friend Alice had met previously in Wonderland. He had changed like most of the creatures of Wonderland, having grown taller and muscular. However, he now had a pair of large bull horns…and his shell was missing. As always, the Mock Turtle was crying his eyes out.

"Did someone die? Have you lost your family?" asked Alice, pitying the Mock Turtle.

"No, my shell! The Duchess stole it and tried to eat for lunch," sobbed the Mock Turtle, speaking in a high-pitched voice, sounding like a teenage boy whose voice was partially broken. "Nobility must be served, I supposed."

"Stop that wailing, won't you?" snapped Alice, already tired of the Mock Turtle's crying. He did as he was told.

"You're very cold-blooded for a mammal," stated the Mock Turtle. "I was almost soup!"

"Tragic I'm sure, but I'm a bit pressed for time," said Alice. "Have you seen a rabbit?"

"Hmmm…twitchy nose, shifty eyes, constantly consults his pocketwatch?" said the Mock Turtle, recalling the White Rabbit's features. "A most peculiar beast."

"Well, he's most dear too me. I must find him!" said Alice, annoyed by the Mock Turtle's description of her friend.

"Caterpillar could help, I'm quite certain," said the Mock Turtle. "He knows everything there is too know."

Alice, even more annoyed and the mere mention of Caterpillar caused her to fold her arms in frustration. Mr. Mouse scampered over to join Alice.

"And where does that smushy layabout hang his hookah these days?" Alice asked rudely.

"Since the troubles began, he's in hiding. I couldn't divulge the secret," said the Mock Turtle, a cunning grin appearing on his face. "I couldn't risk tell you...without something in return."

"Risk nothing, gain nothing," said Alice, unfolding her arms in interest.

"His whereabouts then, for my shell," said the Mock Turtle. "The Duchess won't part with it willingly."

"Then she must do it unwillingly, I'll teach her manners," said Alice.

"You are brave, but I warn you, she treats everything as prey," replied the Mock Turtle, obviously both surprised and impressed by Alice's courage.

The Mock Turtle moved towards the bank where another river was. Alice looked about, as if expecting someone to appear.

"Wait a minute, where's the Gryphon?" asked Alice.

The Mock Turtle looked at her for a moment and then he turned away, breaking into tears again. Alice could tell something was wrong judging by his reaction. The Mock Turtle and Gryphon were best of friends.

"He's gone…" sobbed the Mock Turtle.

"You mean he's dead?" said Alice, her face going pale.

"What? No. At least I don't think he is," said the Mock Turtle, ceasing his crying and wiping his eyes. "He went off to help with the fighting against the Queen and I haven't seen him since."

"Well, knowing him, I expect he's alright," said Alice. "Anyway, how are we going to reach the Duchess?"

As if on cue, a large leaf floated down from above and landed on the water's edge. The Mock Turtle carefully clambered aboard and turned to Alice. She got the idea.

"All aboard," the Mock Turtle said, as Alice and Mr. Mouse also got onto the leaf. Surprisingly, the leaf didn't sink from the weight. But since this was Wonderland, the laws of reality did not really matter.

* * *

It was not a very pleasant or peaceful trip down the river. The crazed ladybirds caught up with the party and began bombing the water around, nearly knocking the group off the leaf boat. Ants appeared on almost every bank and tried to shoot at Alice and her friends with their muskets. The leaf suddenly got a little heavier with the appearance of the Cheshire Cat, grinning as always.

"Lovely day for a journey down river," he said sarcastically.

"Not really," said Alice grumpily.

"You aught to keep an eye out on the water as well as the skies and ground, the Snarks could eat you," said the Cheshire Cat, looking gravely at the murky water.

"What's a Snark?" asked Alice, worry appearing on her face.

A question was answered when a monstrous blue and purple fish broke the surface of the water and plummeted down upon the leaf. All the occupants screamed, except the Cheshire Cat who vanished just as the Snark fish hit the leaf. Alice went flipping through the air and crashed into the water. The current was fast and she was quickly dragged along the river, away from the Mock Turtle and Mr. Mouse, who appeared out of the river, shouting her name. Alice went under and was pulled along by the current.

Pretty soon, she found herself being followed by a large number of Snarks, all equally determined to eat her. Using common sense, Alice managed to sort herself out in the water and swam upwards towards the surface. Breaking through the surface, Alice breathed heavily and headed for the nearby bank, but the current was pulling her away to fast.

Alice turned and saw the Snarks getting closer, their fins cutting through the water like a line of knives. Suddenly, a paw seized Alice and she was swung forwards and back like a ragdoll. Looking up, Alice saw it was the Cheshire Cat who had saved her. He managed to pull her up onto the shore with one paw and they rushed up a hill to evade the Snarks.

"Not the best time for a swim," said the Cheshire Cat. Alice collapsed onto her back, totally soaked.

"I hate you sometimes," said Alice, standing up, not really bothered by her wet clothes. "Where's the Duchess' house?"

"Up there," said the Cheshire Cat, pointing to a large ramshackled building in the distance.

Alice immediately was off towards the house, her sheer will and determination to find the White Rabbit leading her.

* * *

The ramshackled house was rather crooked and bizarre, a front porch built by the front door. A line of torches led the way. Alice and the Cheshire Cat stepped up to the house. Alice was about to head for the front door when her attention was diverted to something else.

"Pssst! Over here!" said a deep voice.

Alice turned and saw what looked like a green-scaled chameleon wearing a cap, waistcoat and a belt containing various tools, walk out of the undergrowth.

"Don't I know you?" asked Alice, partially recognising the chameleon, whose scales continued to change colours, from green to yellow, yellow to red, red to blue and back to green.

"Bill McGill, at your service. Call me Larry!" greeted the chameleon in a London east end accent. "Or not. Got any brandy?"

Alice did recognise Bill after all – the lizard chimney sweeper who tried to remove her from the White Rabbit's house when she had grown humongous.

"I only have my wits," replied Alice. A disappointed look appeared on Bill's scaly face, his eyes which were on the sides of his head twitched violently.

"Then you have nothing," snapped Bill. "Wits are useless here. Everything is downside-up!"

"I must see the Duchess," said Alice, getting straight to the point.

"Impossible. She only sees those who don't wish to see her," said Bill.

"That's not right," said Alice, looking down at the Cheshire Cat who simply shrugged.

"It's perfect. She's supposed to be hiding from the Queen, who wants her dead," explained Bill.

"Her head?" asked Alice, mishearing Bill's words.

"That too. Ruins my home, builds this monstrosity. She's mad as monkey mash and just as tasteless," groaned Bill. "Well, never mind. We'll all perish soon enough. Sure you've no brandy!?"

"Look, I'm here to retrieve the Mock Turtle's shell and I won't leave without it," shouted Alice, her anger and impatience growing.

"Won't you indeed? Stick your thumb in her eye, what!" said Bill, a smile appearing on his face. "I'm your devoted servant, ma'am. I owe her a bad turn myself. Follow me."

Bill rather bravely strode past Alice and towards the front door of the Duchess' house. Alice looked down the Cheshire Cat with concern.

"Do you think we can trust him?" asked Alice.

"Trust is something that is greatly appreciated among those who fight against the Queen," said the Cheshire Cat.

Assuming that meant "yes", Alice followed Bill up the porch steps towards the front doors.

As the two approached the doors, they suddenly shuddered violently and burst open on their own accord. Bill ran off down the porch, screaming and hands waving in the air, leaping over the side to safety. The Cheshire Cat gasped and raced up the steps to save Alice but heard her scream. By the time he reached the front doors, he was too late. He saw a glimpse of a screaming Alice being pulled into the house by a strong gust of wind before the doors slammed shut.

"Alice!" he cried, trying to open the doors.

Just then, the Mock Turtle and Mr. Mouse, both wet, raced into the area and joined the Cheshire Cat.

"What happened? Where's Alice!" cried Mr. Mouse.

"She got pulled inside. We must get in and help her!" cried the Cheshire Cat.

"My shell is in there!" shrieked the Mock Turtle.

"Who gives a damn about your stupid shell, Turtle. Alice is the only one who can save Wonderland from destruction!" snapped the Cheshire Cat, who began ramming the doors to try and get them open.

Mr. Mouse joined in while the Mock Turtle burst into tears again. Bill walked up the steps and shook his head in irritation.

"You won't be able to get the doors open like that," said Bill.

"And you are such a big help. You ran off when Alice got pulled in," shouted the Cheshire Cat angrily. "If you can be of use now, then help us."

Sighing again and cursing under his breathe, Bill pushed the Cheshire Cat aside and brought out a wrench, smashing it into the frame of the doors and began to try wedging them open. He grunted as he tried to open the doors.

"This will take a couple of minutes," said Bill.

"Alice may not have two minutes," cried Mr. Mouse.

"I want my shell!" wined the Mock Turtle.

"Shut up!" cried the Cheshire Cat to the Mock Turtle, who cried even more. "Stop crying and start helping."

Sobbing, the Mock Turtle did as he was told and approached the doors. He stabbed them with his bull horns and attempted to wrench one door open, while Bill fought with the other.

"Damn you, Rabbit. This wouldn't have happened if you weren't always in such a rush," said the Cheshire Cat.

* * *

Alice flew down a corridor and was dumped by the wind in a large round room. The room was supported by large wooden rafters that stretched all the way up to the ceiling. The walls were covered in slime and a lot of blood, the floor equally as filthy. Several cupboards and shelves were built around the room. A fireplace was burning brightly. Alice considered drying herself off, but she decided otherwise when a loud rumbling noise came from the fireplace.

Something crashed down the chimney built into the wall and landed in the fireplace, extinguishing the flames and sending a cloud of black suit into the air. The room suddenly spelt of pepper. Alice backed away as a monstrous creature leapt out of the fireplace. It was a woman by the looks of it, and yet it was also an ogre. The woman-ogre was dressed in an old gown and apron, covered in blood. An old headdress was placed on her bald head, also covered in blood and heavily torn. The woman's face was a thing only an ogre like her could love. It was absolutely hideous. Her eyes were sunken in her face, which was heavily wrinkled. Her nose was thin and crooked, practically made invisible by the massive swollen lips the woman-ogre had. She grinned evilly, displaying two rows of green, crooked teeth. Gunk, blood and who knows what else were stuck to her teeth. The woman-ogre sneezed violently as she got a whiff of the black pepper cloud she had created.

Alice somewhat recognised the woman-ogre – it was the Duchess. However, to Alice, something was not right about her. The Duchess sneezed again and looked across the room to Alice. She looked rather shocked to see the girl, but then a cruel smile appeared on her face.

"Alice?" the Duchess asked. Alice nodded lightly. "Come here, my little chick. Mmmm…properly seasoned, you'd make a handsome dish."

"I'm not edible," replied Alice, backing a way a little more.

"Not a full meal, certainly, but a light snack I think," said the Duchess, licking her lips with a purple tongue, drool practically pouring out of her mouth.

"I'll have the Turtle's shell now, you disgusting ogre!" cried Alice. Even though she was not physically frightened, deep down, she was terrified, her heart beating like a drum.

"Over my dead body!" shouted the Duchess, pulling out what looked like a large pepper shaker, and yet she was wielding it like a gun.

"I'll try to accommodate you!" cried Alice, drawing out the Vorpal Blade.

The Duchess started charged at lightning speed. Alice managed to leap sideways as the Duchess crashed into a spice rack, the contents on the rack crashing to the floor. Alice had never seen the Duchess move that fast. Something certainly wasn't right. The Duchess suddenly aimed the pepper shaker at Alice and a blast of black pepper shot into her face, clogging up her nose, causing her to cough violently. The Duchess dashed at her, but Alice managed to run out of the way again. The Duchess pursued Alice around the room which was filling up with a lot of pepper, making it difficult for Alice to see. Looking around for any sign of the Duchess, she was suddenly struck from behind and sent flying forwards into a wardrobe.

She hit the wardrobe quite hard and the door flew open, the contents spilling out onto the floor. Alice collapsed and then froze in her place when a half-rotten corpse tumbled out of the wardrobe in front of her. The Duchess, who was advancing on her, stopped in her tracks. The corpse was naked and rather bulky and large, the skull was massive. Alice bravely pushed the body onto its side and gasped. She came face-to-face with the massive and ugly face…of the Duchess.

"No! Don't look at her!" roared the present Duchess.

Alice stood and backed away from the corpse, staring at it and then the living Duchess. The conclusion hit her. She looked over to the Duchess with a glare.

"You're not the Duchess," said Alice.

"Silence! Yes I am!" roared the Duchess, leaping at Alice, who leapt away again. The apparent fake Duchess kicked the corpse away.

"The Duchess was never obsessed with pepper…but her cook was," said Alice.

The fake Duchess stopped and she breathed heavily, trying to suppress her anger.

"So, you figured it out. I used to be the Duchess' cook but now I am the Duchess," said the Cook. "For years I have served her, but she never appreciated all I did for her. Eventually I tried to corrupt her with my pepper, but you intervened and saved her. But once you were gone, my time had come. The Queen's conquering of Wonderland was the perfect opportunity to be rid of the Duchess forever."

"So you came here," said Alice.

"Indeed. We came here, tossed out that stupid lizard and made this our hideout. However, I revealed by treachery to her and killed her then and there. Her flesh and organs made a fine banquet!" continued the Cook, laughing for a moment. "But my role now as Duchess made me want more. So any foolish creature stupid enough to come near this house, has been slaughtered and eaten by me…and you are next!"

"I don't think so. Soon you and the Queen will be defeated," said Alice.

"I do not care for the fate of the Queen, as soon she will be eaten too and I shall be the new ruler of Wonderland!" laughed the Cook.

"You're mad!" shouted Alice.

"Didn't the Duchess' wretched cat tell you…we're all mad here!" said the Cook and charged again.

Alice raced back to the wardrobe, hoping there would be something she could use against the Cook. As she ran, Alice drew out her card shurikens and tossed them at the Cook. They cut apart her dress, but she still kept coming. Alice stumbled over something. It was an overlarge jack-in-the-box. The curious thing about it was that the box was covered in drawings of bombs. Alice picked the box up and tossed it at the Cook. It landed at the Cook's feet.

"What's this thing?" asked the Cook.

The box's lever began rotating and an out-of-tune rendition of Pop Goes The Weasel began playing. The Cook chuckled and looked over to Alice.

"Do you really think this toy will harm me?" challenged the Cook.

"Do you know this song?" asked Alice playfully, a grin appearing on her face.

"Yes, does it matter?" said the Cook, raising an eyebrow.

"Pop – Goes – The – Weasel!" sung Alice, going along with the tune.

Alice suddenly ducked as the jack-in-the-box sprung up and exploded right in the Cook's ogre face. Fire consumed the Cook as she stumbled back, her clothes and headdress on fire. The black pepper shot out of the pepper shaker right up the Cook's nose. She began sneezing violently, get worse with each sneeze. Her head began to bulge up, blood seeping from her nose and mouth. Alice shielded herself with her arms as the Cook's head exploded in a flash of gore, blood splattering across the walls and floor.

Alice looked about and found that she had avoided the blood spray. The Cook's now headless body collapsed onto the floor, a pool of blood seeping out of it. Alice dropped the Vorpal Blade, which hadn't actually used and collapsed onto her back in exhaustion. The charred remains of the box sat nearby, but to Alice's surprise, it suddenly morphed back to normal, ready for use again.

There was a sudden series of loud noises from down the corridor and Alice watched as her four friends rushed into the room. The Cheshire Cat was immediately at Alice's side.

"Alice, are you alright?" he asked.

"You took your time. Why didn't you morph in and help me?" cried Alice.

"Hey, why didn't you?" asked Mr. Mouse, stepping over the Cook's body and approaching the two. The Cheshire Cat stared at them blankly for a moment and then he grinned with embarrassment.

"I'll have the leeches clean up this mess," said Bill, staring down at the Cook's body. "But why are there two bodies?"

"That one is the Cook, this one is the Duchess," said Alice, pointing to the corpse next to her. "The Cook went crazy and killed the Duchess."

"Oh…well, I suppose we better bury her then," said Bill.

"I'll do it," said Mr. Mouse, raising a paw voluntarily. "But it means are travelling will be cut short Alice. You must find the White Rabbit."

"My shell!" cried the Mock Turtle suddenly, racing across the room to a wall, where his beloved shell hung. He squeezed himself into it. "It's still in good condition."

"A thank you would have been nice," said Alice. "I've kept my part of the deal Turtle, you keep yours."

"Very well, I'll take you to Caterpillar," said the Mock Turtle. Rather surprisingly, a stone well popped up out of the floor. The Mock Turtle dived into the well, a loud splash following.

"Must I get wet again?" groaned Alice.

"If it gets you to Caterpillar," said the Cheshire Cat, vanishing once again.

Alice shook her. She picked up the Jackbomb and to her amazement, it shrunk down into a small box, which she placed in her apron along with her other weapons. Picking up the Vorpal Blade, Alice approached the well and waved to Mr. Mouse and Bill.

"Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome," replied Mr. Mouse, waving back. "Be careful."

"Anytime, love. Just bring back some brandy when I see you again," said Bill.

Alice rolled her eyes and leapt down the well after the Mock Turtle.

…


	5. Words of Farewell and Wisdom

**This chapter took longer than expected, but I think it came out pretty well. It features character deaths.**

**…**

**Chapter 5: Words of Farewell and Wisdom**

_Nurse D, having lost patience with my treatments, insists on trying a "cure" of her own. She stitched the rabbit together and tucked it into bed with Alice_

Dr. Wilson fed Alice another dose of potion to keep her alive, so to speak. He believed the potions and liquids he produced would help Alice come out of her catatonic state quicker, so then he could help her. But, then again, he had been doing this for a decade and she had only just stirred about a month ago. Nurse D entered the room, carrying a sewing kit.

"What are those for?" asked Dr. Wilson, stepping away from Alice as he finished giving her the potion. He placed a lid carefully on a small glass bottle he had.

"To be honest, Doctor Wilson, I believe your methods and treatments are useless," said Nurse D.

Dr. Wilson was so shocked by Nurse D's revelation that he would have fainted on the spot if he wasn't very good at keeping himself composed. Instead of fainting, he simply raised an eyebrow in interest.

"You didn't answer my question," said Dr. Wilson.

"I consider your methods terrible, so now I am going to help Alice with my own cure," said Nurse D.

"Cure?" asked Dr. Wilson.

"I'm going to fix her rabbit and see what happens," explained Nurse D. "My first attempt did not go as well as you recall but it woke Alice up."

Dr. Wilson got the jist and realised what Nurse D was getting at. He responded to this realisation with a long nod.

"Oh, I see. You believe fixing the toy may bring about some sort of new sign of activity?" said Dr. Wilson.

"Correct," said Nurse D.

Dr. Wilson was very doubtful of Nurse D's cure but nevertheless, he allowed it to happen. So Nurse D sat in Alice's room by her bed and carefully stitched the rabbit back together. However, just to be cautious, she left it with only one eye, just in case Alice started talking madness again.

Around an hour or so later, Dr. Wilson returned to Alice's room after checking all his other patients and having a rather one-sided conversation with the Superintendent who had briefly come to check up on things. When he stepped into the room, he found Nurse D standing in the middle of the room with a smile on her face. Alice lay in her bed, sound asleep with the fixed rabbit under her arm.

"Well?" asked Dr. Wilson.

Nurse D continued to smile and revealed a familiar piece of paper. She handed it to Dr. Wilson who examined it. It was another of Alice's bizarre drawings. This one was of a rather dishevelled-looking rabbit, dressed in a waistcoat and top hat. He was running down a corridor of some sort that was lined with upside-down grandfather clocks. Dr. Wilson stared at it intriguingly and noticed the rabbit carried in its paw a pocketwatch.

"That looks like my pocket watch," said Dr. Wilson. "Anyway, it looks like your idea worked after all."

"It appears it did. I finished fixing up the rabbit and gave it back to Alice," explained Nurse D. "About an hour later, she suddenly sprung to life with a mad-looking grin on her face. She sort of hinted for a piece of paper with her eyes and I allowed her to draw the picture. She went back to sleep shortly before you arrived."

Dr. Wilson nodded, and looked back down at the drawing of the rabbit. He turned to leave, taking the drawing with him. He stopped briefly as he headed out of the door and turned back to Nurse D.

"Well done," he said.

"Thank you," replied Nurse D.

Dr. Wilson departed and headed down the corridor, a smile appearing on his face.

* * *

Alice practically launched herself out of water, moving quickly to escape. The Mock Turtle leapt out of the water seconds later, nearly swallowed by a massive Snark, which quickly withdrew itself into the water. Alice and the Mock Turtle had dived into the very depths of the Vale of Tears and it wasn't a very pleasant trip. For one thing, Alice had to swim quickly to keep up with the Mock Turtle and his air bubbles, and secondly, they were continuously pursued by hungry Snarks which were the size of whales compared to Alice. Eventually, one had got so close to Alice that she had panicked and swam like a madman to the surface, beating the Mock Turtle to safety.

Once again, Alice was drenched. Her hair was practically raining and how clothes were rather heavy from the water inside. On the positive side, the blood on her clothes had been washed off, mostly. Alice stood with an angry and frustrated expression on her face, arms folded. The Mock Turtle looked about for any signs of danger and with a smile on his face, he turned to face his friend.

"Finish what you start please, remember, your just a visitor and we have to live here," said the Mock Turtle.

"I'm not on holiday," shouted Alice, squeezing locks of her hair to remove water.

"And I am not ungrateful," said the Mock Turtle. "Your swimming was very impressive. You're a honourary reptile!"

"Lucky me," said Alice, a frown on her face.

"You'll think so if you ever got underwater again," said the Mock Turtle, before diving into the water again.

"I promise you, I won't," said Alice, turning away, only to nearly leap out of her skin.

The White Rabbit stood before her, arms folded with one of his feet tapping the ground impatiently. Alice composed herself and breathed a sigh of relief. At least now she wouldn't have to go looking for the White Rabbit. However, the rabbit's greeting to her was not a friendly one.

"You took your sweet time getting here!" he said harshly. Alice nearly fell over in bewilderment.

"What do you mean?! You're the one who didn't wait!" cried Alice angrily, not believing that after all she went through, the rabbit was as impatient as ever. "I had reasons!"

"Forget reasons, they're useless," said the White Rabbit. "Caterpillar is waiting!"

"I remember him well…thin-skinned, ill tempered, smokes too much…disagreeable smell," sighed Alice, remembering the Caterpillar's appearance. "Why do I need him?"

"No one's wiser in Wonderland, only he knows what you must do to save us," said the White Rabbit. "Now follow closely, the way is treacherous. We have so far to go and so very little time to get there."

"And I suppose you believe I am responsible for this delay," said Alice.

"In a manner of speaking, yes," said the White Rabbit. "We are very late indeed!"

Alice stood there, staring in disbelief at the White Rabbit. If she did not care for him, she would have throttled him then and there until he had collapsed from suffocation.

"Do you know what?! I'm starting to get really fed up!" shouted Alice. "You dare accuse me of being late! You were the one who dashed off and left me clueless. I've had to go through some stupid mines to find an old gnome who took me on a suicide mission to a fortress in order to create a small potion, since you couldn't be bothered to leave me one! Then I ended fighting with some crazed loyalist to the Queen, got small, nearly drowned twice and nearly got eaten by a giant fish and a crazed Duchess who wasn't really the Duchess, and now you're telling me I've got to go into some new form of hell in order to speak with Caterpillar, who will most likely talk absolute nonsense too me and make me do all of his dirty work for him!"

The White Rabbit looked rather startled by Alice's outburst, his long ears lowering. He hadn't realised how much she had been through, and it wouldn't have happened if he had waited for her.

"Alice…" he began to say, but she just shook her head in anger.

"You know what, never mind, let's just go and find Caterpillar," said Alice, marching past the White Rabbit and heading up the hill, out of sight.

The White Rabbit watched her vanish and he looked down to the ground. He was always late, or at least he believed he was, and yet everyone said he was on time. But the worst thing about his paranoia, is that he never had time to listen or understand anyone because he was too obsessed with being on time. It seemed his paranoia had cost his relationship with Alice dearly. Over the years they had spent together before she had vanished into insanity, the White Rabbit had got close to Alice and seemingly eased up with his paranoia. However, after Alice vanished and the troubles began, he became so obsessed with keeping to schedule that he became lost in it.

"You seem disheartened suddenly," said the familiar voice of the Cheshire Cat, who appeared beside the White Rabbit. He was grinning as usual.

"I hope you've been helping her…" said the White Rabbit.

"Yes, I have," said the Cheshire Cat. "But from a distance. She has to learn to figure out things for herself. It seems, however, you have not been much use to her."

"Don't start, I admit my scheduling has affected me a lot," said the White Rabbit, glaring at the Cheshire Cat. "But don't forget, you have done terrible things during our fight to exist. And you hide your true colours behind those grins of yours, thinking you can block out your other side by grinning all the time."

The Cheshire Cat's grin suddenly loosened and he glared back at the White Rabbit.

"Don't try me…," he whispered, before vanishing.

The White Rabbit glared at the space where the Cheshire Cat was a moment ago and bounded off after Alice.

* * *

The central domain of the Queen of Hearts could best be described as hell. Hidden from view, beyond a wall of treacherous mountains and boiling lava lakes, Queensland is the last place anyone with brains would want to be, but it was the place Alice had to reach in order to free Wonderland. However, it would be a suicidal mission if one thought they could get to the castle, let alone pass through the grounds. While Queensland was surrounded by mountains and lava, the only way in was through a pair of wrought iron gates that were made from burning hot metal, which could burn a person's hand or arm clean off. The gates were guarded by a large amount of monsters. Beyond the gates was a massive hedge maze, hiding all sorts of traps and abominations. Most people who infiltrated the Queen's domain and got into the maze never came out, often getting lost forever, killed or captured. Those who were captured were sentenced to the chopping block.

The castle itself was a fortress. The size of a mountain, to the eyes of those from below, the castle is filled with horrors unimaginable. Massive turrets towered upwards into the red sky, the tallest covered with massive structures resembling horns jutting out at every possible angle. Flames that engulfed a lot of the walls could be seen from miles away, a warning to anyone who dared threaten the Queen and her kingdom. A large trio of stain glass windows were visible on the highest point of the castle, hiding away the throne room.

But the insides of the castle were worse than the outside, much worse. It was hard to say how many levels there were in the castle but there were at least a billion dungeons and torture chambers, where the captives were tortured so graphic to describe, that to read a simple description of a torture process would drive someone mad or suicidal. The castle was not without its many traps and guards, hidden behind every corner and in every shadow. The most haunting thing about the castle, other than the wretched screams that echoed through the halls, were the massive red tentacles that grew out of the walls and grew out deep into the depths of Wonderland.

And then, there was the throne room, forever shrouded in darkness, its doors always shut. Inside hid the Queen of Hearts herself, twice as mad and murderous as before. It was hard to say what had caused her to become what she was currently, but soon she had sealed herself in her throne room, killed her own husband, the King of Hearts and quickly expanded her empire across Wonderland. Massive tentacles had grown out of the walls of the kingdom and where they went, most of the land changed as well. The Queen's forces slaughtered millions, moving like a plague of locust across Wonderland and turning it into a nightmarish world. Both places and people were affected. One of which happened to be entering the castle on his way to meet the Queen: The Mad Hatter.

Once a friendly but slightly crazy man of theatrics, the Mad Hatter had been affected by the same unknown thing that had caused the Queen to turn into a tyrant. Becoming obsessed with time, but completely different from the White Rabbit's, the Mad Hatter had become a self-proclaimed genius and captured just as many prisoners as the Queen's forces have done, and performed monstrous experiments on his victims, including his own friends. The Mad Hatter himself had changed a lot physically as well as mentally.

Walking down a dark corridor, the Mad Hatter's form was revealed when he walked out into an open courtyard briefly. He walked in a hunched position, using a cane to walk. He face was an eerie green, his whole facial structure reformed. His nose was long and pointed, and his face seemed to have been pushed together slightly, making him horribly wrinkled. His eyes were full of madness, yellowed and his pupils were tiny. He wore what seemed to be a loosened straitjacket, due to the straps wrapped around the bloodstained cloth, the sleeves ripped and hanging loosely from the Mad Hatter's arms. His hands were gloved. He wore baggy trousers and grubby boots, which seemed to have broken leg irons attached to them. It was known by a few that the Mad Hatter had been captured by the Queen and tortured before strangely being released. There appeared to be a large rusted gear protruding out of his back, probably explaining why he was walking in his hunched position. His top hat had changed considerably as well. It was twice as tall, the top section bent forwards. It was covered in a chequered pattern of black and white squares, with odd symbols from astronomy and science dotted all over. The Mad Hatter's face was shadowed by the large brim of his hat as he walked down another corridor and into a larger courtyard.

In the courtyard, a long line of prisoners stood waiting for their inevitable fates, all bound together by long chains with leg irons attached to their ankles. The Mad Hatter watched as he walked by as a prisoner, namely Pat, the gardener of the White Rabbit, knelt before a bloodstained chopping block, the walls and ground around it also stained with spilt blood. He looked away as an executioner brought an axe down on the prisoner's head. The Mad Hatter continued onwards, meeting a pair of card guards at the end of a corridor. Both were Spades and wielded spiked maces.

"Welcome, sir, the Queen is expecting you," said one of the Spades.

"Is she now?" said the Mad Hatter, his voice almost a whisper.

The two Spades opened a set of doors and led the Mad Hatter up a steep flight of spiral stairs up towards the throne room. The Mad Hatter struggled up the stairs; a disgruntled looked on his green face. Eventually, they came to the top and found a pair of large black doors, large metal chains draped all over them keeping a large pair of bloodstained axes strapped to the doors. A symbol combining a heart and a pair of curled horns protruding out of the heart was painted on the door – the Queen's insignia. One of the Spades gulped loudly and approached the door. He tapped on the door extremely delicately. The knock surprisingly echoed and then silence came.

The Mad Hatter stood waiting. Getting impatient, a pocketwatch attached to a wooden extendable device popped out of his sleeve and he examined briefly. He quickly withdrew it when a loud booming voice that sounded like some sort of unearthly monstrosity.

"WHAT IS IT?!" roared the voice.

"Deepest apologies for disturbing you, Your Majesty…" whimpered the Spade who knocked on the door. "But the Hatter is here to see you."

The group waited for an answer, but the door slowly creaked open, the room beyond full of darkness. The Spades suddenly bolted, fleeing for their lives. The Mad Hatter was not afraid of the Queen and strolled into the darkness. The throne room was mostly dark but the Hatter could clearly see that the chamber suited the monster that ruled Wonderland. Everything was red and covered in what appeared to be blood. Spikes were jutted across all the walls, each spike holding a decapitated head or skull on it of victims killed by the Queen. Large pillars held up the ceiling and flaming torches lined the walls in between the spikes. The Mad Hatter stopped in his tracks as a red tentacle slithered past him and vanished across the floor into a dark area of the room, hidden by shadows. A pair of gleaming eyes, blood red in colour, shone out of the darkness and glared at the Mad Hatter. The Mad Hatter tipped his hat very lightly to greet the Queen.

"You wished to see me," said the Mad Hatter, his silvery eyes locking with the Queen's red eyes, her form hidden in darkness.

"YOU WILL ADDRESS ME AS "YOUR MAJESTY"!" roared the Queen, the very anger in her voice shaking the foundations of the room. The Queen suddenly lowered her voice to speak in a sly female voice. "She has returned."

"She?" asked the Mad Hatter. He paused for a moment to figure out who the Queen was referring too. He raised his brow in realisation. "Alice."

"Precisely," said the Queen, her voice full of malice. "It seems she has been causing some ruckus in the slums of my kingdom. And what's more, Commander Heartbleed is dead."

"Curious. It seems Alice has joined the White Rabbit and his wretched freedom fighters," said the Mad Hatter.

"She is coming to me," said the Queen. "To destroy me!"

The Mad Hatter's eyes glimmered at this revelation. For so long, he had wanted to rule Wonderland. This could be his opportunity.

"I doubt she will survive all the horrors of Wonderland," said the Mad Hatter with a sly grin on his face. "If she succeeds in getting that far, than she will meet her end at my hand."

"No!" shouted the Queen suddenly. If the Mad Hatter had not learnt to avoid expressing emotions, he would have jumped in shock. "She will come here and she will be mine!"

"Is that so," said the Mad Hatter, cocking his head sideways.

"YOU DARE JUDGE ME!" roared the Queen, her voice becoming monstrous again.

"I am not judging you," said the Mad Hatter, unfazed by the Queen's outburst.

"NOW YOU DARE INSULT ME!" roared the Queen. "OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!"

The Mad Hatter backed away as a shadowed creature lurked out of the shadows towards him, a massive scythe for an arm rising to strike him. As the scythe-armed monster was about to remove the Mad Hatter's head from his body when a clawed hand grabbed it. The Mad Hatter looked up in astonishment. A surprised grunt came from the Queen.

"Apologies for being late, Your Highness," said the gravely voice of a large dragon-like creature. It has green scaly skin running from head to toe. It had a head that was a cross between a bird's and an insect's, a beak for a mouth and insectoid antenna protruding out of the forehead. Its eyes glowed a bright yellow. It had a long neck and a muscular torso, part of which was replaced by a large kiln-like device, an orange fiery glow coming from within. It arms were huge, long and bony, a pair of massive pincers at the end of both hands, smaller claws growing from underneath the pincers. Its legs were just as long as its arms with long talons for toes. A long tail curled out of the back of its torso, lined with what appeared to small steam pipes. A larger pair of steam pipes were built into the back of the kiln, continuously spouting out puffs of steam into the air. Its wings were massive, but were inorganic, made out of wood and metal. The skeletal structure of the wings were made from curved pieces of wood, and the wing's inner sections were metal plating.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!" shouted the Queen.

"Forgive me for defying you," said the dragon. "But I believe the Hatter still has some use to your power, Your Highness."

"Your suggestion has been noted," said the Queen, her voice calm again. The scythe monster released itself from the dragon's grip and vanished back into the darkness.

"What should be done about Alice?" asked the dragon.

"Make her suffer. Suffer so much that she will want nothing other than to kill me!" said the Queen. "Now, be gone!"

The dragon bowed graciously and turned away, stomping out of the throne room. The Mad Hatter tipped his hater again and followed after the dragon. The throne doors began to close even before he was out of the room. He ended up having to rush out, the doors slamming behind him. The dragon laughed and lurched away. The Mad Hatter glared at him and began to follow.

"What's so amusing?" he hissed.

"You are really a piece of work, Hatter," said the dragon. "You think you can really overthrow the Queen of Hearts?"

The Mad Hatter smirked.

"Yes, I believe I can," said the Mad Hatter. "But unlike others, I am an opportunist. And once Alice wanders in my home, she will become my pawn to destroy the Queen and I shall become Wonderland's new ruler, forever."

The dragon halted and fully turned to face the Mad Hatter who did not feel threatened by the beast's superior size.

"If you are accusing me of wishing to overthrow the Queen, then you are wrong," said the dragon. "Besides, I foresee your comeuppance soon enough, be it at the hands of Alice, the Queen, or myself."

"Watch yourself," said the Mad Hatter, striding past the dragon. "If it weren't for me, finding and fixing you, you would be dead by now. And soon, you will be…Jabberwock!"

The Jabberwock glared with his yellow eyes as the Mad Hatter walked away, heading back to his hidden laboratory somewhere in Wonderland. An extra large amount of steam blasted out of the Jabberwock's steam funnels. He was trying to stay calm.

* * *

Alice and the White Rabbit had not had a very pleasant trip through the undergrowth of the larger than life Fungiferous Forest. Alice was forced to do a suicidal journey across a large ravine using tree vines and nearly slipped off several times. Not to mention she had to battle against living mushrooms that tried to suck her into their fanged mouths, and monstrous rose flowers that shot thorns at her. Plus she was still wet from her swimming, although she was getting drier due to all the mayhem she was being put through, and all to find Caterpillar.

Alice noticed up ahead that the White Rabbit had stopped and was looking about with a troubled look on his face. A large clearing was in the distance. The White Rabbit turned to address Alice as she joined him.

"Strange how quiet it is here, now. I don't like it," murmured the White Rabbit. "Thankfully though, Caterpillar is just beyond clearing, Alice."

"Yippee…" said Alice sarcastically.

"I suggest we sacrifice stealth for speed," said the White Rabbit and before Alice could have her opinion, he was already nodding to himself, confirming his idea as best. Alice folded her arms in irritation.

"Fine, we'll go with your plan," said Alice. "Although you've been sacrificing a lot to get more speed haven't you."

The White Rabbit was clearly hurt by this comment and his ears drooped slightly. Alice noticed this reaction and unfolded her arms. The White Rabbit turned his head slightly to look at Alice.

"I'm sorry," apologised the White Rabbit. "I don't intend on making others miserable, I just can't stop being late. I hope within time you can learn to forgive me."

Alice was stunned by this apology and could only watch as the White Rabbit bounded away down the hill into the clearing. She had not realised she had been rather cruel to her long-eared friend and now there was a large amount of regret somewhere inside. Little did she know that is was about expand. Alice suddenly felt the ground beneath vibrate. The White Rabbit, who just entering the clearing, stopped in his tracks and looked upwards. Alice looked up as well, the vibrations getting louder and louder.

She stared wide-eyed as a massive giant stomped out of the gloom, the giant's upper torso hidden by the clouds above. Her eyes followed the giant's direction and looked across to where the White Rabbit stood. The White Rabbit stared back at her and smiled. He suddenly vanished from sight as a boot worn by the giant crashed to the ground where he stood. Alice watched in horror as the giant moved his boot left and right across the ground. The giant then stomped off, his loud footsteps receding.

Utter silence followed.

Alice stood rooted to the spot, her seemingly frozen emerald eyes staring out at the spot where the White Rabbit had stood a second ago. Her mouth was slightly open. The only noises around were the sounds of the wildlife around. Alice suddenly snapped out of her trance as a flash of flames erupted in her mind. Gasping, Alice forced her body to move and she rushed down the slope towards the clearing. She stumbled and nearly fell over, but nothing was going to stop her from getting to the White Rabbit.

Reaching the bottom of the slope, Alice ran out into the open clearing. She froze in her tracks, her heart skipping a beat. Her emerald eyes picked out the form of the White Rabbit, crushed and flattened into the ground. His frail and aged body could not have withstood the weight of the giant's foot. One of his arms had been crushed under his own body and lay dislocated awkwardly under the rest of the body. His eyes bulged out of his heads, but they were dead, as was the rest of him. Alice stood silently, staring at her friend's crushed body. Her knees suddenly gave way and she allowed herself to collapse to the ground. Alice's mouth hung open again, but no words could form. She wanted to reach out and touch her friend, hoping he might suddenly spring back to life, but she knew deep down that he wouldn't. Her hands remained firmly still in her lap. Alice blinked multiple and realised her vision was being blurred by water. Tears began to run down her cheeks and drop onto her dress.

Alice didn't care if something came along that very second and killed her, nothing mattered anymore. The world was gone, Wonderland was gone. It was just her sitting in darkness, forever staring at the remains of her beloved friend. The things she had said to him continued to repeat over and over in her head like a broken gramophone. And then the White Rabbit's apology did the exact same thing. Alice saw out of the corner of her eye a figure appear out of thin air beside her. It was the Cheshire Cat, and two Alice's anger and disgust, that lurid grin was still on his face. Alice continued to stare at her fallen comrade and friend, and she finally spoke.

"Everyone I love dies violently…unnaturally…" mumbled Alice, and then she looked at the Cheshire Cat, tears now streaming down her face uncontrollably. "I'm cursed! Why go on?! I'll just hurt others…I already have…"

And with that, Alice broke down and buried herself in her dress, crying loudly. The Cheshire Cat continued to smile and look at her.

"No time for self-pity. Evade your savage pursuers and find Caterpillar," he said.

"Shut up!" roared Alice, suddenly rounding on the Cheshire Cat. The feline clearly flinched. "Don't you care?!" She stopped shouting and suddenly slapped herself across the face. The cat was even more surprised by this. "No, I mustn't shout at you. I shouted at Rabbit and it killed him! It's my fault he's dead!"

The Cheshire Cat's smile faded and he gently placed a paw on Alice's shoulder. She looked at him with her watery eyes. The Cat smiled again, but this time, it was a more friendly.

"Alice, it is not your fault," he said.

"How would you know? It's not as if you've killed anyone," said Alice.

"Yes I have," said the Cheshire Cat. "I've killed many of the Queen's soldiers and even some of the people on our side. Ever person that has died by my hand remains in my memory and I can never forgive myself for my own transgressions until Wonderland has been restored. So please Alice, don't blame yourself."

Alice looked at the Cheshire Cat with a look of uncertainty. She looked back at the White Rabbit and wiped away her tears.

"I'm so sorry, and I forgive you," whispered Alice. "And I hope someday you'll learn to forgive me."

Alice slowly got to her feet and turned to the Cheshire Cat.

"Let's go, Cheshire-puss," said Alice and the Cheshire Cat frowned.

"What did I tell you!" he cried.

Alice smiled and with one final look at the White Rabbit, she raced off into the wilderness. The Cheshire Cat watched her disappear and he looked down at the White Rabbit. His smile faded once again as he looked upon his deceased friend. A sad expression covered his face, and a single tear escaped from his eye and fell upon the Rabbit's body.

"I'm sorry too," the cat said.

He then proceeded to scoop up the Rabbit's body with some difficulty and dragged it across the clearing towards a patch of large grass. He laid the body ground and began digging a makeshift grave for his friend. Several minutes later, his work was complete and he placed the White Rabbit into the grave and then buried him. The Cheshire Cat stood for a moment before the grave and patted the soil with his poor.

"Farewell, old friend," he said, and with another grin, he vanished.

* * *

Alice continued onwards, the very memory of the White Rabbit's death pushing her to go on and find Caterpillar. Fighting her way through the hordes of insects and killer plants that continued to come at her, Alice went deeper and deeper into the undergrowth.

The mushrooms were becoming the size of trees as she moved on deeper and deeper, until she came into a patch of grass surrounded by a wall of mushrooms. And there sitting on a large mushroom, was the person she had been looking for, Caterpillar. Large and green, Caterpillar smoked a large hookah and had a red fez balanced on top of his head. His lips were large and his eyes were full of knowledge and wisdom. Alice approached Caterpillar who noticed her and he removed his hookah to speak, a large smile appearing on his face.

"Alice, you have returned," he greeted her.

"Hello, Caterpillar," said Alice. "Rabbit never told me why I have come back…and now he's gone." A sad look came upon her face. Caterpillar instantly guessed what had happened.

"At least he sent you to me safely, even if it cost him his own life," said Caterpillar, trying to give Alice some comfort. "Why you ask? Wonderland is severely damaged and you must set things right.

"I barely recognise this terrible place. What is it to me?" asked Alice.

"It's home…well, it could be," explained Caterpillar. "You nearly wiped us out, having lost what you loved. You've started to rebuild, but your task and pain are not over."

"Why must I suffer?" asked Alice.

"Because your mind is fouled by self-deception, even your fantasies have fragmented into tortured versions of themselves," continued Caterpillar. You are wracked with guilt because you survived, and you dread the prospect of a life alone."

Alice wanted to tell Caterpillar that he was wrong, but he couldn't be more right.

"What do you think I must do?" she asked.

"Destroy the Queen of Hearts," said Caterpillar, taking a puff from his hookah. "Wonderland and your entire world can become whole again. I need to rest now, and you need to regain your human size. Grow up, Alice, and embrace the truth. In order to get larger, you'll have to travel to the deepest part of the Fungiferous Forest and nibble from the Mushroom of Life. But take great care. The Voracious Centipede jealously guards it, and rules over what you require."

"Who is the Voracious Centipede?" asked Alice, raising an eyebrow.

"He is the self-proclaimed ruler of Wonderland's insectoids, who are all loyal to him and the Queen," explained Centipede. "He was once a footsoldier until he was corrupted by the Queen and became ruler of the undergrowth. He is jealous because he is unable to grow by eating the Mushroom of Life, and wishes no one else to use it. You will have to face him in order to achieve your goal…now, go forth!"

He removed his hookah and pointed it in the direction of the Mushroom of Life. Alice nodded in appreciation and set off down into the depths. Caterpillar watched her go.

"Good luck, Alice," he said and placed his hookah back into his mouth.

* * *

Alice stumbled into through a dark tunnel, heading in the direction Caterpillar pointed her in. There were some killer mushrooms up ahead. As soon as Alice exited the tunnel, she moved into a fast dash and raced past the mushrooms before they could suck her into their mouths. She made it around and corner only to come face to face with an earwig-like creature with massive pincers on one end of its body. It was about to pop Alice's head open when she brought out the Vorpal Blade and stabbed the bug clean through the midriff with it. The bug squirmed and tumbled over as Alice withdrew the blade and raced off further down the path.

However, as soon as Alice got into a large clearing, she found herself surrounded by army ants and bomb-wielding ladybirds. Alice already knew she was outnumbered and if she even tried to put up a fight, she'd be dead in seconds. Two army ants seized her and dragged her down the path towards what appeared to be a nutcracker soldier.

"My Lord, we have an intruder!" cried one of the army ants to the nutcracker. "It is a girl!"

"You pathetic excuses for soldiers! Bring the intruder to my lair and I shall punish her for her insolence!" roared a ferocious voice.

The army ants suddenly released Alice and one of them booted her from behind with so force that she was sent flying forwards, right into the mouth of the nutcracker and into a new chamber. The ceiling was covered in sharp stalactites, some of which were made from ice. In the middle of the chamber was a large clump of rock where a golden mushroom sat, presumably the Mushroom of Life that Caterpillar spoke of. However, Alice would have to pass the Voracious Centipede first, who crashed down from a hole in the ceiling, bringing a couple of stalactites with him. One made of ice shattered near Alice's feet and a strange object that resembled a wand with a shard of ice imbedded in one rolled to Alice's feet. She picked it up and examined it. Her attention was then drawn to the massive Centipede that towered over her.

Centipede was huge, bulky and rather muscular, his body a dark brown in colour. His head was huge, a massive jaw opened to display several rows monstrous fangs and mandibles, and a slimy tongue that bared a resemblance to an octopus tentacle. His eyes were small but made him looked deranged, which he probably was. Massive mandibles protruded from either side of his mouth. He walked on many skinny legs and had either smaller arms. He wore a navy blue military jacket and a black pickelhaube, a helmet used by German soldiers, a silver spike protruding out of the top of the helmet.

"You will be severely punished for your transgressions!" roared Centipede, his eyes burning like flames.

"I didn't do anything!" cried Alice.

"Silence! You have asked an irrelevant question and for your insolence, you will die!" Centipede continued. Before Alice could get another word in, Centipede came charging at her with the speed of a train. Alice dived sideways onto the ground as Centipede crashed into a wall, his impact causing the whole cavern to shake violently, various sized stalactites breaking off from the ceiling and hitting the ground.

Alice watched the giant Centipede reverse and turn to face her, rearing back in anger like a maddened horse. Alice scrambled to her feet and rushed across the cavern floor, Centipede trundling after her, catching up to her quite quickly on his many legs. Alice stumbled and fell flat on her face. Recovering quickly, Alice looked up to see Centipede towering over her, his fanged mouth smirking. Wiping blood from her face, as her nose had bled when she collided with the floor, Alice crawled away backwards but Centipede continued to come.

"There is no escape!" laughed Centipede, drool coming out of his mouth as a miniature waterfall, missing Alice as she scurried backwards. "Once you are gone I shall consume the Mushroom of Life and conquer Wonderland with my army."

"Another one?" groaned Alice as she got to her feet and got a fair bit of distance between herself and Centipede. "Has everyone in Wonderland gained a thirst for domination?!"

"Domination is necessary and a vital war tactic in a world like this!" cried Centipede. "It is survival of the fittest!"

Centipede then pounced, leaping through the air and crashing down near where Alice was, knocking her over. As Centipede's massive mouth came down to consume Alice, she held aloft the ice wand in front of her, begging that it would do something. As if having a will of its own, the Ice Wand's icicle glowed a bright blue and suddenly, a blast of ice shot out right into Centipede's mouth. The giant insect recoiled in pain, gagging and spitting frozen flem from its mouth. Alice stared wide-eyed at the Ice Wand and a grin appeared on her face – not as the bizarre as the Cheshire Cat's, of course.

Leaping up, Alice charged straight at Centipede who was recovering from having a blast of ice fired into his mouth. He saw Alice coming and was shocked when Alice fired another blast of ice out of the wand, covering part of his body in ice. Alice raced here and there, launching blast after blast after blast, freezing over a good amount of Centipede's upper body and some of his legs. Roaring in anger, Centipede shattered most of the ice covering his massive form and practically dived at Alice, who leapt out of the way as he hit the ground.

Alice leapt back to her feet again and withdrew the Ice Wand for her trademark Vorpal Blade and began stabbing Centipede in the side multiple times. Centipede made small groans of pain with each stabbed and then heaved himself upwards, rising to his full height, taking the Vorpal Blade with him. Alice stared open-mouthed at how high her weapon was. Annoyed, Alice brought out the croquet mallet and swung it full force into Centipede's side. The smack caused the Vorpal Blade to slide out of where it has impaled Centipede, Alice catching it as it fell down.

Alice then proceeded to perform a double attack on Centipede, using the knife and mallet to bring an immense amount of pain on Centipede, or so she thought. Centipede simply cackled and Alice stared astonished at the insect.

"Why don't you just fall down!" cried Alice, clearly frustrated.

"Because I am invincible!" cried Centipede.

"You're a looney," Alice responded.

Centipede laughed and charged again. Alice dived out of the way again, but this time, Centipede swung his lower torso and smacked Alice away. Centipede pursued Alice as she ran across the cavern, rounding the overlarge rock where the Mushroom of Life stood. Unable to see Alice, Centipede angrily started striking the rock, hoping the attacks would knock her into view. Alice looked about for a way up to the mushroom – that way, she could grow large and simply step on Centipede. The only catch was, there wasn't a way up.

"Having a good time?" asked a familiar voice, and Alice turned to see the grinning Cheshire Cat materialise beside her.

"Not really," said Alice, frowning at the cat. "Any ideas on how to defeat this egomaniac?!"

"Try looking beneath," said the Cheshire Cat and he vanished as quickly as he appeared.

"What?" cried Alice. "What does that mean?"

Alice had to leap out of her hiding place when Centipede's tail flew from out of nowhere and smacked into the rockface. Rolling out into open space, Alice looked up to see Centipede at his full height, walking around the rock where the Mushroom of Life stood. Alice then noticed a strange pink wart-like object protruding from the bottom of Centipede's torso, looking swollen and twisted. Alice then realised what the Cheshire Cat meant by "looking beneath".

Pulling out and gripping the Vorpal Blade, Alice leapt up and charged full speed at Centipede. The massive bug looked at the little girl in amusement as she rushed at him. He was about to reach down and devour her, when she suddenly tossed the Vorpal Blade like the knife that it was. The knife imbedded itself in Centipede's swollen patch. Feeling a severe amount of pain, Centipede reared back and roared in anger. He had been deceived. Taking advantage of his, Alice tossed her shuriken cards at him, cutting open the swollen area, spilling out grotesque white liquids and several small insects resembling cockroaches. Roaring in anger, Centipede lost his balance and toppled over like a building. The impact with the ground shook the loose stalactites from the ceiling.

Alice watched as the stalactites came down on Centipede, impaling him at various points on his body, pinning him to the ground. Alice pulled out her Ice Wand and froze the insects in place, one evading her attack and leaping onto her back. Alice shrieked and ran about in a circle to try and remove the insect from her back. Alice then raced for Centipede, who was squirming violently to try and free himself from the stalactites, but only drilling them further into his body. Alice pulled the Vorpal Blade from the swollen area, Centipede shouting again in pain, cursing angrily. Alice seized part of the bug still attached to her and bisected it in two. Wiping off her blade with her already severely stained apron.

Alice then noticed that some of the stalactites that had fallen had formed a makeshift staircase to the Mushroom of Life. Smiling slightly, Alice clambered her way up the stalactite staircase and hopped up to the Mushroom of Life which was large and green. The Cheshire Cat appeared.

"I've never trusted mushrooms or toadstools but I suppose some must have their good parts," said the Cheshire Cat, a look of distaste on his cat face.

"I wish I were hallucinating," said Alice, a troubled look on her face. "What a terrible choice. Eat a toadstool, or be food for insects."

"I would go for the first option myself," said the Cheshire Cat.

Alice moved to taste a small bite from the mushroom when she heard Centipede groan loudly. She turned back to see him squirming ever so slightly. His angry eyes looked up at her.

"Curse you…" he said, his eyes rolling back into his head. Centipede stopped moving and died.

Alice stared at the corpse briefly, images flashing in her mind of the headless half-decomposed Duchess and the flattened White Rabbit. How many people were going to die before this nightmare was over?

"It is rude to eat and run, but sometimes it is unavoidable," said the Cheshire Cat as Alice removed a small piece from the Mushroom of Life and swallowed it in one go, without needing to chew. Alice convulsed at the taste of the food but she soon felt herself grow taller, rising upwards into her original size.

Alice rose up, appearing out of a large hole in the ground and found herself in new surroundings. A small pool of lava was in the middle of the rocky clearing, a path spiralling around the pool to a pile of rocks in the centre. Large grey walls made of earth surrounded the clearing, but several interesting objects could be seen – like a tall castle turret that was bent and buckled, coloured a pale white. The Cheshire Cat appeared beside Alice, grinning as usual.

"I'm going to fight the Queen," said Alice. "I've been trying to avoid it for a time, but after the White Rabbit was murdered, my conscious was clear."

"And I shall fight along side you," said the Cheshire Cat.

"You haven't fought much," said Alice, frowning at the cat. He continued to grin back.

Alice looked about for anything interesting and then noticed a strange object lying on the rocks in the middle of the lava pool. It looked like it was made of skin, due to its colour. Curious, Alice mad her way down the spiralled path to the object. Strange little red skinned creatures resembling the traditional interpretation of the devil leapt out of the lava and growled at Alice. Not really in the mood to fighting, after just battling Centipede, simply pushed the devil men out of the way back into the lava. She hopped up onto the rock pile and picked up the item. The Cheshire Cat appeared beside her.

"The Jabberwock's Eye Staff is incomparably powerful, but its individual pieces are worth less than the carcass of a gnat," explained the Cheshire Cat. "You'll have to rebuild the Staff in order to properly use it."

"And where are we going to find the rest of the pieces?" asked Alice impatiently, dumping the Eye Staff into her apron along with the rest of her growing arsenal.

The Cheshire Cat thought for a moment and then looked up at Alice, a gleam in his eyes.

"The Oracle of Wonderland," he said.

"Who?" asked Alice.

"The Oracle of Wonderland, he knows all there is too know," said the Cheshire Cat.

"You and the White Rabbit said that Caterpillar knew all, but he hardly helped me!" said Alice.

"Caterpillar's knowledge is admittedly limited, but the Oracle knows all," said the Cheshire Cat. "Come, we shall speak to him."

The Cheshire Cat vanished. Alice shrugged and set off to find the cat.

**…**


	6. Black, White and Crimson

**Chapter 6 is at last here. I am so sorry for the delay, but life and nostalgia has taken over my world for months. However, the revelation of the sequel to American McGee's Alice, and Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland film has convinced me to continue this story. **

**This chapter contains violence, gore and some death.**

…

**Chapter 6: Black, White and Crimson **

_Dozing off for a few minutes only, I woke to the sight of Alice's freed hands tugging at my watch fob. Shackles might be required for future sessions—at least until she behaves._

It had been a stressful and frustrating month at Rutledge Asylum for Dr. Wilson, Nurse D. and poor Alice. A couple of days after Nurse D. had fixed up Alice's toy rabbit, disaster, or perhaps ironic fate, happened. Dr. Wilson was summoned to Alice's cell at an early time in the morning to find several orderlies wrestling to Alice pinned on her bed, attempting to keep her down with leather straps. Nurse D. stood in a corner of the room with a grave, solemn look on her face. Alice was screaming and constantly fighting with the orderlies as they won in their fight. She was also crying, out despair and anger, her eyes fixated on something hidden in Nurse D's arms.

Dr. Wilson approached Nurse D. and found Alice's beloved toy rabbit, flat as the cloth it was made out of. It had been stripped of all of its insides and its head was missing. Dr. Wilson quickly concluded that either some cruel orderlies or an insane patient had got into Alice's room and tortured the poor rabbit, claiming the head as a prize. Nevertheless, Dr. Wilson did feel for Alice, she had lost the last connection to her life before it went to pieces.

To make matters worse, Dr. Wilson received a letter from the snobbish Superintendent explaining he would be visiting very soon – but no date was written. This meant it could be any day now. With all the problems that had been happening, although most of them were common, the Superintendent visiting was not the most happiest of occasions in Rutledge Asylum.

Three week past after the incident in Alice's room, the girl had remained catatonic for ages, and the Superintendent had not popped up. Dr. Wilson spent vast amounts of time sitting in a chair in silence, observing Alice as she either slept or stared up at the ceiling. He had tried several attempts to wake Alice up, or at least get a reaction, such as holding a lit candle to her face, but nothing worked. Dozing for a moment of so, which was actually two hours, Dr. Wilson awoke to the sound of tinkering metal.

Opening his eyes, he found Alice awake in both ways, pulling on the chain of his pocketwatch. Curious, he watched Alice for a few moments as she continued to tug on the pocketwatch. She suddenly glanced at Dr. Wilson with those emerald eyes of hers, nearly causing the man to flinch as if she was about to leap at him and rip his throat out like a maddened dog. Instead, Alice just kept looking at Dr. Wilson, and her tugs on the chain becoming harder and more urgent. Recalling the drawing Alice had given him of the oddly dressed rabbit and the pocketwatch it had, Dr. Wilson smiled as he pulled out his own and held before Alice.

"Do you want this?" he asked.

Alice simply stared at the pocketwatch and then snatched the watch from Dr. Wilson's hand like a wild monkey. She retreated into her bed, the leather straps removed so she curled up into a ball, her back to Dr. Wilson. Dr. Wilson wasn't so sure but he was hearing small muttering coming from Alice as she rocked back and forth in her bed. Deeming this is perfect opportunity to try and get somewhere with Alice after the little success recently, Dr. Wilson leaned close to Alice without getting off his chair, and spoke to her.

"What's wrong, Alice?"

No response came. Dr. Wilson sighed in defeat and was about to get up and leave when someone spoke back in an almost inaudible whisper.

"My parents are gone…"

Dr. Wilson turned back to Alice to find that she had uncurled herself and turned her body slightly. Dr. Wilson sat back down and continued his attempted communication with Alice.

"What else is wrong, Alice?"

"Something's broken," said Alice immediately after. Dr. Wilson stared at Alice with a quizzical expression.

"What's broken, Alice?" he asked.

Alice almost flinched herself, but then slowly turned around to face Dr. Wilson. Her face was expressionless, and she stared at him with her emerald eyes that looked like they were staring right through his body to the wall behind him. The words that came out of Alice's mouth shocked Dr. Wilson.

"I am."

If Dr. Wilson wasn't sane, he would have been sure that Alice's eyes shattered like a mirror. Nevertheless, Dr. Wilson was astounded and impressed at the same time. Very few patients in the asylum knew that they were actually mad or mentally damaged in some way, and for a girl of her age to experience such horrors and know what has become of her was even more impressive.

Smiling, Dr. Wilson got off his chair and knelt before Alice. He took both her hands, which still held the pocketwatch and motioned them to cover the watch like a shell.

"Well, it looks like we shall have to fix you, Alice," he said and placed his hands on top of hers, one on the top and the other on the bottom to match Alice's.

The two stared at eachother for the longest time, but it seemed like an understanding had been formed between them.

…

Alice strode down a rocky path, the Vorpal Blade in her grasp. As she had followed the elusive Cheshire Cat, a host of monsters had attacked her including Card Guards, Boojums, and monsters made of lava. But, she was so stressed and annoyed that she smashed her way through the enemy forces with just the Vorpal Blade, although she did manage to freeze the lava monsters using the Ice Wand. Alice stopped for a moment and looked around for any sign of a cave entrance.

"Cheshire-puss?" she called.

The Cheshire Cat appeared out of thin air, a bemused look on his face.

"Please refrain from addressing me with that wretched name," he said, but went into a grin again.

"Where's this Oracle's hideout then?" asked Alice impatiently, obviously getting fed up.

"Just around the next bend, actually," said the Cheshire Cat, disappearing as quickly as he appeared.

Alice raised her eyebrows and walked around the corner. In a large open clearing, the Cheshire Cat reappeared and pointed a paw at a large opening to a cave in the rockface, a dim light glowing from inside. As Alice approached the cave entrance, a deep voice boomed from down the cave.

"To destroy the palace, filled with malice, is the daring work of noble Alice," spoke the Oracle. "An endgame with the Red Queen is possible, only after you crush her sentinel – the vile, fiercilious and vengeful Jabberwock. Without the staff that bears his name, destroying him is the hopeless work of a wasted life."

"Well, that's encouraging," said Alice sarcastically. "But I have one piece of the Eyestaff, where can I find the others."

"Scattered throughout the world. When you have them all in hand, checkmate is possible. The Pale Royals may be of use…" said the Oracle.

"Obscure allusions to chess are fine, but it troubles me that an anonymous oracle knows more about my business then I do," said Alice.

"Enough chit chat, the Pale Realm is up ahead – I hear that the White King possesses one of the pieces," said the Cheshire Cat. "The Caterpillar apparently gave it to him for safekeeping."

"And where would the other pieces be?" asked Alice. The Cheshire Cat looked away with a look of anger on his face. Alice was oblivious to this as she set off, leaving the Oracle's cave behind.

"The Mad Hatter has a piece," said the Cheshire Cat. A smile appeared on Alice's face, unaware of the Hatter's fate.

"Oh, well at least it is in the hands of someone I can trust," said Alice.

"Not anymore," said the Cheshire Cat, looking back to Alice. "The Hatter has fallen to the same strange influence that corrupted the Queen of Hearts. He sealed himself in his house and he hasn't been seen since…but when that happened, so did strange things shortly afterwards."

"Like what?" asked Alice urgently, concern growing for her apparent former friend.

"People started disappearing from all over Wonderland. Usually people were captured by the Queen's guards who attacked them with shouts and cries to worship that abomination of a monarch, but these disappearances were different. The people just vanished without a trace," explained the Cheshire Cat. "We sent the March Hare and the Dormouse to check on the Hatter, but they never returned. But we then found out that the Hatter had become rather obsessive with time."

"I see…" said Alice. "But, nevertheless, I have to obtain the Eyestaff from him."

"Agreed," said the Cheshire Cat.

…

Carrying on for some time, Alice and the Cheshire Cat walked silently through a dark chasm. Alice wasn't sure what the cat was thinking, but she eyed him occasionally, concerned about how he truly felt about this war and the death of the White Rabbit. Alice, herself, had got over the White Rabbit's death some time ago, but she still promised to find his killer and avenge him. Her deepest thought was this mysterious influence that had corrupted the Queen of Hearts and the Mad Hatter, and likely had driven the Duchess' cook into murdering her mistress. What were its origins, possibly something outside of Wonderland?

As Alice's thoughts wandered, she was brought back into this twisted reality by a shout from the Cheshire Cat.

"Alice, look out!"

Alice had only seconds to look up as a monstrous skeletal creature appeared out of thin air and shrieked at Alice. A large icy blue chain flew from its mouth and wrapped itself around Alice waist. The monster then suddenly dived at Alice who became suddenly paralyzed with pure fear, her emerald eyes widening to the point of popping out of the girl's head.

Alice's world was suddenly consumed by thick flames of an inferno. Looking around with pure terror, Alice just saw flames everywhere with no hope of escape. The burning building she was in looked hauntingly familiar, but it was black and falling apart from the flames. And then, Alice's eyes saw two moving objects in the distance, trapped within the flames, reaching for her.

"Save us, Alice!"

"Help us, Alice!"

Alice gasped loudly and reached out towards the two burning creatures, their forms blurred by the thick flames. Alice's outstretched arm attempted to lead her through the flames to the figures, but a large charred ceiling rafter crashed down from above, landing before Alice, preventing her from moving any further. Suddenly, several large tentacles wrapped around Alice's waist from behind and attempted to drag her away.

"No! I have to save them!" screamed Alice, panic and a desperate need to fight back taking over her mind. "Mother…father…"

To Alice's horror, the two burning figure when fully consumed in flames, their screams lost forever but repeating in Alice's broken mind. The flames around the figure suddenly spiralled upwards into the air, and then forming a strange shape made of the fire itself. To Alice, it resembled a dragon, a monster, her nightmare. Two large flaming wings spread out across the flaming monster's back, and two flaming eyes appeared on its head. It sneered at Alice as the tentacles became tighter around her waist, causing the girl to cry out in pain. The fire monster spoke to her in a deep raspy voice.

"You selfish, misbegotten and unnatural child! You smelled the smoke but you were in dreamland taking tea with your friends. You couldn't be bothered. Your room was protected and spared, while your family upstairs roasted in an inferno of incredible horror!"

Alice's eyes widened again in terror and guilt. She then lost all control of herself and screamed out in anguish, thrashing about violently to escape this nightmare, but the tentacles was winning the battle and dragged her further and further into a dark hole in the burning house, where two glowing red eyes of pure malice and evil waited for her. As Alice continued to struggle for freedom, her ears were filled with the sound of a ticking clock. Opening her eyes, Alice thought she might find the White Rabbit alive and well, but instead found a rusty old pocketwatch displayed in front of her in the gloved hand of a green-faced Mad Hatter. He grinned evilly at her.

"Time's up," he said and snapped the pocketwatch shut.

The tentacles suddenly shot into the hole of darkness, sweeping Alice off her feet and sending her flying backwards, the girl screaming all the way, that was until a familiar voice cried out at her.

"Alice!"

Alice blinked and found the flames and monsters gone, and she was now in the arms of the Cheshire Cat whom stared down at her with concerned eyes.

"Alice?" he spoke. "Are you alright?"

Alice looked around for any signs of the monster but it appeared to have vanished. Breathing heavily, Alice quickly recovered and leapt out of the cat's hands, wiping away forming tears onto her arm. She stood up with her back to the Cheshire Cat.

"Yes, I am alright," said Alice. "What was that thing?". The Cheshire Cat was not convinced, but not to trouble Alice, he went along with it.

"A Phantasmagoria," explained the Cheshire Cat. "Tortured souls of lost Wonderland creatures, destroyed by the madness that has plagued our world. They are consumed by the need to devour more souls to try and escape their neverending pain."

"Can they be killed?" asked Alice, drawing out the Vorpal Blade and examining it. The Cheshire Cat looked at Alice with a concerned expression, hoping that she would not randomly go on a killing spree.

"Yes…" said the Cheshire Cat. "Perhaps we should carry on to the Pale Realm."

Alice turned to look down at the cat, a fake expression of calm on her face. She nodded silently and set off down the path. The Cheshire Cat watched Alice move on, and then followed her, not even considering fading away in case she got attacked again.

…

Further up the path, Alice and the Cheshire Cat came to a clearing where they found an archway of sorts, patterned with black and white chequered scheme. In the middle of the archway was what appeared to be a looking glass. The archway was guarded by chess pieces, pawns to be exact. However, these chess pieces were the size of a human and red in colour.

"The Red Pieces," said the Cheshire Cat. "Loyal to the Queen. They must have captured the White Royals!"

"Then we have to get into the kingdom and find the White King," said Alice. "He's got a piece of the Eyestaff."

Before the Cheshire Cat could get a word in, Alice leaped out of her viewing spot behind a rock and charged headlong into battle. The red pawns that sported cycloptic eyes in the middle of their round heads jumped in surprise as Alice appeared out of nowhere and quickly dispatched the little soldiers with the Vorpal Blade. The Cheshire Cat watched as Alice killed the last of the pawns by decapitating him. She approached the oddly placed looking glass, which was built into a rusted metal frame.

Alice glanced at the large mirror in puzzlement. She reached out with her left hand to touch the glass, but to her surprise, the glass instead rippled in shape like disturbed water. Alice withdrew her hand and took a step backward, nearly tripping backwards over the Cheshire Cat who sat behind her. Hesitating for a moment, Alice approached the looking glass again and instantly touched its surface, the glass rippling under her touch. Alice then exchanged her hand for a single finger, poking the glass and causing it to ripple continuously until she removed it. She then proceeded on moving her finger across the mirror in a line, cutting through the glass like it was water. To the Cheshire Cat's surprise, he heard Alice let out a small giggle and he saw a smile on her face, not one of sinister or mad intentions, but an ordinary smile of joy. Either Alice was showing signs of going mad, or was showing a brief glimpse of the potential happiness she once had. Cheshire Cat found himself grinning with his strange smile. Alice herself was enjoying this strange moment, and for the longest time, she was sure that she may have just felt like a child again.

Alice then removed her finger from the glass and then stuck her whole right arm in, the Vorpal Blade attached to her hand. Withdrawing it, she came to a conclusion.

"The Pale Realm is through here," said Alice. She turned to the Cheshire Cat with her new smile. "Are you coming?"

The Cheshire Cat grinned back, displaying his full set of yellowing fangs. "Yes."

Alice nodded in acknowledgement and allowed herself to walk through the mirror, the rippling glass not harming her as she passed through it. The Cheshire Cat followed.

…

The other side of the looking glass rippled as Alice stepped out onto a cobbled street. She turned back to wait for the Cheshire Cat to follow, the emaciated cat appearing seconds after her.

"That was too easy," said Alice, looking down at her friend.

"Don't become ignorant, Alice," warned the Cheshire Cat. "Besides, it looks like something has happened here."

Alice turned to see what the Cheshire Cat was talking about, and that warm familiar feeling she had felt for a brief period of time was replaced with that deep sense of fear and pain that had filled Alice for so long.

Strewn across the square in front of them, under a sky made from giant black and white chequered squares, were many bodies of chess pieces. Both white and red. Many were in pieces, heads, limbs and weapons lying everywhere. Alice stared around in shock at the result of an unseen battle that lay before her.

"What happened?" asked Alice.

"Ever since the Queen changed, the Red Pieces started to violently strike out against the White Pieces, claiming undying loyalty to the "Red Queen" and thus this neverending chess game goes on. It will never end until both members of the royals from either side are destroyed," explained the Cheshire Cat, looking grimly at the bodies. "We should head for the White King's castle, and be very cautious."

The two made their way through the path of bodies and made it into the square. Every building was white or grey in colour, towers twisted up into the air. The sky above the buildings was made out of an endless moving stream of black and white chequered squares.

"Was it always like this?" asked Alice, staring up at the sky.

"No. The constant battle caused the sky to become like that," said the Cheshire Cat.

"Halt!" shouted a voice, catching the two off guard.

Alice instinctively tossed the Vorpal Blade in the direction of the voice, not actually seeing who she was attacking. There was a yelp and the sound of the knife imbedding itself into a stone wall. Alice swivelled around on her legs and turned to see that the person she had blindly attacked was a white knight, resembling a horse, his body made out of stone. He has a pair of armoured arms, wielding a lance in his right hand, covered by a gauntlet. The knight hopped away from the Vorpal Blade and hopped over to Alice, aiming his lance at her throat.

"Who are you?" asked the knight angrily. "Are you a member of the Red Pieces?"

"Do I look like a Red Piece to you?" snapped Alice, swatting the lance aside, striding past the astonished knight and retrieving the Vorpal Blade.

The knight turned to look down at the Cheshire Cat and nearly leapt back in fright upon seeing the grinning feline.

"By the stars! You're the Cheshire Cat!" cried the knight. He turned back around to Alice who was inspecting the Vorpal Blade for any damage. "Then you are Alice! You look different then I last saw you."

"Have we met?" asked a confused Alice, her attention drawn to the knight.

"We met during your early trips to Wonderland," said the knight, but Alice just stared blankly. "I think best whilst upside-down."

Alice gasped lightly, recognising the white knight as she had encountered during her second trip to Wonderland. He has repeatedly fallen off his horse and landed upside-down.

"Oh, yes, I remember you," said Alice. "Did you make your pudding?"

"The blotting paper was lost in the war," said the knight. "But, please, you may call me Arcanum."

"I was unaware that the Chess Pieces had names," admitted Alice.

"You'd be surprised. But what brings you to the Pale Realm?" asked Arcanum. "Have you come to help us defeat the Red Pieces?"

"I am here to obtain a piece of the Jabberwock's Eyestaff from the White King," explained Alice.

"I believe His Majesty will be willing to give up his piece of the Eyestaff, as long as his son is avenged," said Arcanum.

"The King has a son?" asked Alice in astonishment.

"Had. Lucas was his name. He was an excellent knight and the King's favourite, for obvious reasons," explained Arcanum. "He killed the Jabberwock, or at least we thought he did. He even came galumphing back with the beast's head – but that was until a mechanized-Jabberwock appeared looking for his head, regaining it and slaying Lucas. The king and queen were most upset but couldn't do anything as we were too busy fighting in this neverending game of chess with the red pieces that are murderously loyal to the Red Queen."

"Red Queen?" said Alice.

"The Queen of Hearts' name in the Pale Realm," explained the Cheshire Cat. Alice acknowledged this was a nod.

"Anyway, enough exposition, you are here and I shall take you to the king and queen," said Arcanum. "Follow me."

The white knight hopped off across the square in the direction of the White Palace. Alice followed, as did the Cheshire Cat.

…

After some time of walking and ducking from Red Pieces, something of which Alice protested against, the girl, cat and horseman entered a large courtyard. Like everywhere else in the Pale Realm, this court was black and white. As they rounded a corner, there were the sounds of screams and a repeated loud thud.

"What the blazes?!" cried Arcanum and he quickened his pace around the corner.

Alice followed and saw a large castle in the distance, made out of white and grey stones and twisted and crooked towers. Alice watched in astonishment as the large doors of the front of the castle suddenly exploded to pieces and went flying away as two large crazy-looking red knights leapt out of the building, missed the staircase at the front and hit the ground hard. They were armed with large bloodstained spears and shields. Behind them came two red rooks, muscular and tough looking, carrying the White Queen between them.

"Unhand me you ruffians!" cried the White Queen as she struggled to free herself from her captors.

Alice, the Cheshire Cat and Arcanum ran to aid the queen, easily cutting through the red knights, but they were not quick enough to retrieve the queen. She and her rook captors were gone.

"Where are they taking her?" asked Alice.

"To the Red Kingdom," said Arcanum. "Hurray, we must see if the king is alright!"

Arcanum bounded on towards and into the castle. Alice followed, the Cheshire Cat predictably vanishing into thin air again, likely to avoid battle or just to get to the king quicker. Alice ran into the castle's foyer to find White and Red Pieces beating the hell out of eachother, determined to kill eachother. Many corpses were scattered across the room, limbs and heads separate from their bodies, weapons imbedded in walls and the floor, and everything in sight seemed to be broken. Arcanum fought his way through the crowd, Alice following and stabbing everything that was the colour red on the way.

She ran up a slope and forced her way through a pair of large white doors. She stumbled into a massive room, held up by large white pillars. She looked down into the centre of the room and saw Arcanum standing with two Rooks, broadfaced muscular creatures, and the White King, a regal-looking figure with a stern face and a large crown on his head.

"Alice, Your Majesty," said Arcanum, panting heavily.

Alice stepped down into the middle of the room and bowed briefly before the White King, Artorius.

"Alice, help us, please," said Artorius. "The Red Queen's forces are strong and show no mercy. Our own queen is in terrible danger."

"I saw her captured, I'm sorry," apologised Alice. She has a deep respect for the White King and Queen.

"That's alright, but without her power, Red may win," said Artorius, a worried expression appearing on his face.

"As am I if I cannot pass through this realm," said Alice. "I need to collect the pieces of the Jabberwock's Eyestaff."

"Then, I suggest you free the White Queen, Alice," said Artorius. "She possessed my piece of the Eyestaff when she was captured. It will help us both if she is freed."

"I'm not really a player. What are the rules?" asked Alice.

She was astonished when Artorius burst out laughing, chortling in odd joy.

"Rules? There are no rules, my dear girl. There's barely any strategy. I suggest you make a frontal assault on the Red King personally!" said Artorius.

"Tell me, what caused the Queen to start this war?" asked Alice.

"I am afraid I don't know the cause, but the Red King rallied all of his troops together per the Red Queen's command and the war started," explained Artorius. "I will not let you go into the Red Kingdom alone, so you can take this soldier with you."

Artorius flicked a finger, and a small White Pawn hopped into view. Alice gawped in astonishment at her new ally.

"A Pawn?" cried Alice. "That's the best I can hope for."

"Even the smallest creatures can cause big changes in war, Alice," said Artorius.

"My name is One-Step," said the Pawn, bowing gracefully.

"Odd name," commented Alice.

"And yours isn't?" asked One-Step, glaring at Alice with his singular eye.

"Er…well, I suppose it is," said Alice. "Let's get going."

She headed for the door, with Arcanum and One-Step following, but she halted briefly, turning back and bowing to the White King before departing.

…

The journey to rescue the White Queen, Regina, was a hazardous one at the most. Alice, the Cheshire Cat, Arcanum and One-Step ventured into the Red Kingdom, which was exactly the same as the White Kingdom with the exception for the dominant colour of red everywhere, even in the sky. Alice was merciless on the way to finding the White Queen, slaying any enemy chess pieces that got in her way. The White Queen possessed a piece of the Jabberwock's Eyestaff, which she needed to obtain.

Eventually tired of mindlessly killing the Red Pieces, Alice decided to attempt an interrogation. After slaying a batch of Red Pieces, Alice approached a wounded pawn and held the Vorpal Blade to his throat.

"Alright, Blinky, where has the White Queen been taken?" snapped Alice angrily.

"I'll never tell-" squealed the pawn, but that was until Alice jabbed her knife deeper into his body, causing the pawn to shout in pain. "She was taken to the execution grounds!"

Alice removed the knife from the pawn's throat and quickly stomped away. Arcanum, One-Step and the Cheshire Cat followed. The pawn suddenly leapt up and laughed maniacally, before charging after the group.

"Hahahahaha! You should never turn you're back on an enemy!" shouted the pawn as he charged.

"And you should never annoy a cat!" shouted back the Cheshire Cat, who suddenly spun around on the pawn and rammed his clawed paw right through the pawn's body, causing him to crumble to pieces.

Moving on, the group eventually came to a pair of iron gates, a pair of axes displayed on them.

"This must be the execution ground," said the Cheshire Cat.

"We can see what's going on from up there," said Alice, pointing towards a nearby bridged walkway.

The group ventured up a flight of stairs onto a roofed walkway overlooking the bloodstained execution ground, but since the ground was chequered with red and white squares, the blood was only visible on the white patches. In the middle of the grounds stood an ornamental guillotine, coloured a dark black with blades protruding out of every angle. Placed under the blade of the guillotine was the struggling White Queen, her beautiful features standing out in the hell around her.

Alice spied the Red King, leader of the Red Pieces, standing beside the guillotine with an almost regretful look on his face. He wore regal clothes, a battered crown and held aloft a large sceptre.

"Damn you, Red King!" shouted the White Queen as she struggled against shackles that prevented her from escaping the guillotine. "You should have joined us. The Red Queen is a monster and you know it. She'll kill you as she killed the King of Hearts!"

"I am sorry, my dear," apologised the Red King, looking away in an uninterested manner. "But for the sake of this war, you must be eliminated. However, unlike the Red Queen, I prefer a cleaner way of executing my enemies."

"You're downfall with come soon, and so will the Red Queen's," hissed the White Queen.

"Perhaps, but yours has arrived," said the Red King and with a wave of his hand, the guillotine came out on the queen's head, decapitating her in a flash of blood and gore.

Alice's heart stopped for a second, her emerald eyes looking on in horror. A sudden feeling of guilt grew in her stomach, images of her dead parents and the crushed White Rabbit flashing in her mind. Her hand tightened around the Vorpal Blade. Arcanum's eyes were blazing, snorting loudly in anger. One-Step looked away in shock, closing his single eye. The Cheshire Cat glanced at Alice, seeing her anger.

The Red King approached the White Queen's body, admiring her decapitated head as it seemingly melted away.

"You always were beautiful," said the Red King. To his surprise, a piece of the Jabberwock's Eyestaff was left behind by the queen. He picked it up and examined it.

Suddenly, a loud crash and the sound of shattering glass caught the Red Pieces' attention. The Red King looked into the sky in astonishment at the sight of a girl with brown hair and the most amazing emerald-coloured eyes heading straight for him, a large bloodstained knife in her hands ready to strike, a white knight following after her.

"You blackguard!" roared Alice as she brought the Vorpal Blade down on the Red King's head. He instinctively raised the sceptre he carried to block her, forcing her to leap away. Arcanum and One-Step landed beside Alice as glass rained around them.

"Rally to me!" cried the Red King, as a dozen or so Red Pieces swarmed out of every building in sight. They all aimed there various weapons directly at Alice. "Kill the girl and the white pieces!"

The Red Pieces all charged at Alice, Arcanum and One-Piece. The Cheshire Cat watched on helplessly from nearby, when suddenly something caught his eye and he smirked. A large cry caught the Red Pieces' attention as a large group of White Pieces charged their way into the courtyard, and within moments, a battle of blurred red and white figures were battling to the death. Alice immediately set her eyes on the Red King who was attempting to flee through the swarming crowd, and she ran at him like a predatory cat seeking its prey. One-Piece kept close to her, hopping his way through the crowd as chess pieces fell around him. Arcanum stabbed every Red Piece in sight, ramming his sword through the throats of every knight, rook, bishop and pawn that dared cross paths with him.

Alice caught up to the Red King, ramming hard into him and knocking him over, before attempting to stab him in the head. The Red King managed to knock Alice to her feet with his sceptre, getting to his feet. Alice leapt up and the two engaged in a battle, Alice swinging her knife around like a madman, the Red King barely having time to block each attack with his sceptre.

"You coward!" shouted Alice.

"Why am I a coward, Alice?" asked the Red King, manoeuvring to avoid another swing of the Vorpal Blade. "This is war. Victory is earned when the opponents are destroyed. It's all part of the way the world works."

"Don't you dare try to sweep this under the carpet!" screamed Alice, leaping in the air and slashing at the Red King, chopping his sceptre clean in two. The Red King was forced to run away. "You should have used your brain and now joined with the Queen of Hearts!"

"I am loyal to the Queen, and to not be is treason," said the Red King.

"Shut up!" roared Alice. She whipped out whatever weapon she had in her possession and aimed it at the Red King.

Alice watched angrily as an endless amount of ice covered the Red King, quickly freezing his body.

"Have pity, child!" cried the Red King.

"Why should I? You didn't!" she shouted mercilessly, the red monarch frozen solid.

Alice grabbed the regenerating Jackbomb and tossed it at the Red King's frozen form. After several seconds of playing Pop Goes the Weasel, the Jackbomb exploded, the force of the blast shattering the Red King's body into smithereens, his crown exploding into diamond dust. The piece of the Jabberwock's Eyestaff landed at Alice's feet. She picked up and stuffed it into her apron and gave a resounding cry of "Yes!". A large number of fighting chess pieces paused in their fight, seeing the Red King explode. With an angry cry, the Red Pieces raced for Alice.

One-Step hopped past Alice and head for the end of the courtyard.

"What are you doing?" asked Alice.

"Don't you know the rules of chess?" asked One-Piece. "If a pawn reaches the other end of the chessboard, then they can be traded for another chess piece that has been removed from play."

A sudden glimmer of utter joy sprung on Alice's face.

"You mean…?" said Alice.

"Exactly," said One-Piece, and with a smirk, he reached the end of the courtyard and was consumed in an explosive light. Alice and all of the present chess pieces stopped what they were doing, and stared in awe at the shining light.

The light vanished suddenly and there stood the White Queen in all her beauty, her head back on her neck. She flexed her neck back and forth and drew a shining white broadsword.

"Well, that was an unpleasant experience," said the White Queen. She glanced at Alice. "Are you alright, my dear?"

"Yes, your majesty," said Alice, nodding in respect. "That king was arrogant by executing you right where you could be revived."

"He thought that none of my men could get into his kingdom," said the White Queen. "And now, let us end this silly crusade."

And with that the White Queen stepped out into the battle, swinging her sword and obliterating Red Pieces in mass waves, pieces of armour flying in all directions. Alice watched her move about the courtyard and walked away from the remains of the Red King. She saw Arcanum, alive and in one piece, appeared from among the other White Pieces and he smiled at her in a way of appreciation. However, he suddenly gained a look of fear on his face.

"Alice, look out, behind you!" he cried.

Alice frowned in puzzlement. She suddenly noticed a large shadow had appeared behind her, stretching across the chequered ground.

"Hello, Alice," said a sinister voice.

Alice spun around and looked up to see a dark, tall figure, a silvery smirk on the person's face. She barely had time to react as something struck her hard over the head. Feeling dizzy, Alice felt her body tumble over onto the ground, and her world faded into darkness, hearing the sinister yet familiar voice whisper to her.

"You are mine."

…

Again, sorry for the delay. Chapter 7 will hopefully come quicker.


	7. Conversations With Alice

**Chapter 7 of the story. This one is different, completely focusing on the events in Rutledge Asylum, and the war in Wonderland will continue in Chapter 8.**

…

**Chapter 7: Conversations With Alice**

_Out of nowhere, and as shocking as a bolt of lightning across a sky of purest azure, Alice greeted me with a strange grin._

Doctor Wilson, weary-eyed and with unkempt greying brown hair, walked down a corridor of the asylum, quietly passing by nurses, other doctors, orderlies and patients on his way to spend another day with Alice. It had been perhaps weeks, or months since he and Alice had made their pact to help Alice sort out her problems. The biggest achievement Doctor Wilson had committed with Alice was getting her to actually talk with him, even if it was just a brief conversation, which in itself was like talking to a deranged wild child. He hoped that perhaps she would talk again today.

His thoughts were interrupted when two identical but unfamiliar orderlies came running down the corridor from the opposite direction, arms wrapped around eachother's shoulders like they were joined at the hip. Doctor Wilson was forced to leap to the side and flatten himself into the wall as the twins ran by.

"Watch where you're going!" shouted Doctor Wilson.

"Sorry, Doctor," laughed one of the orderly twins.

"Yeah, sorry!" said the second as they ran away out of sight.

Doctor Wilson shook his head and moved on. He glanced out of the windows into the garden outside the building and saw it was raining hard, and thunder rumbled in the distance. He eventually came to the cell door to Alice's room. Sighing heavily, Doctor Wilson opened the door and stepped inside. Alice lay on her bed, unshackled. However, she was not staring up at the ceiling, but instead appeared to be sleeping peacefully. Doctor Wilson silently took a seat beside Alice's bed and went over a clipboard containing medical results.

A bolt of lightning suddenly struck outside and as if on cue, Alice's eyes snapped open. Doctor Wilson immediately took notice to this.

"Alice?" he called.

Alice's eyes focused on him, and she moved her head in his direction. Doctor Wilson held his breath, staring into Alice's like, which were like those of a serial killer. However, Alice suddenly broke in a strange grin, which took Doctor Wilson by surprise. An image of the drawing Alice had drawn of the grinning cat flashed in Doctor Wilson's head briefly. Alice then proceeded to start chuckling in an almost psychotic manner.

Doctor Wilson got to his feet and moved away; believing Alice may have gone completely mad.

"It's gone…" said Alice.

"What's gone?" asked Doctor Wilson.

"It's in ruin," continued Alice.

"What is in ruin, Alice?" asked Doctor Wilson.

"Wonderland," said Alice. Doctor Wilson stared in awe, this word repeating in his head. He quickly moved and shut the door before returning to his chair beside Alice's bed.

"What is Wonderland, Alice?" asked Doctor Wilson.

And with that, the next four or five hours were probably the most intense Doctor Wilson had ever experienced, as Alice gave him a very descriptive detailing of her experiences in a place she called "Wonderland". Doctor Wilson listened with an amazed and intrigued expression on his face, taking several notes on the clipboard he had present, although half of the details Alice gave were puzzling to Doctor Wilson.

"…And then the Duchess gave me her child to look after, and the baby turned into a piglet…" continued Alice.

"Just a moment, Alice. The baby turned into a pig?" said Doctor Wilson. "How?"

"Because I said that if it continued grunting, it would turn into a pig," said Alice. "And it did."

"That's madness," said a fascinated Doctor Wilson.

"Yes, that's what the Cheshire Cat said," said Alice, nodding lightly.

"The grinning cat you mentioned," said Doctor Wilson. "And every person you met in Wonderland had some form of oddity to them?"

"In a manner," said Alice. "The Cheshire Cat liked grinning, the White Rabbit was always late for something, and the Queen of Hearts was…"

Alice suddenly trailed off and went silent. Doctor Wilson frowned in concern when Alice's face screwed up into an angry expression.

"Alice, what's wrong? You mentioned a queen," said Doctor Wilson.

"I hate her!" snapped Alice. "I want to kill her!"

"Why?" asked Doctor Wilson, moving about in his seat, ready to move just in case she turned violent again.

Alice turned to him and went into another in-depth conversation. The description of Wonderland this time was a lot more grotesque and adult, Alice describing to Doctor Wilson how Alice and her friends waged war against the queen's nightmarish forces.

Another hour went by as Alice's new description of her world went on, and Doctor Wilson quickly came to realise how much Alice had seemingly been suffering over the past decade, with these nightmares in her head. After some time, Alice drifted off into sleep and Doctor Wilson quietly left, taking his clipboard of scribbled notes with him.

…

Doctor Wilson sat at his desk, and wrote a large paragraph of information into the patient journal of Alice, spilling his thoughts out onto the paper. Stopping, he reached into a draw in his desk and produced a pile of drawings Alice had drawn. The drawings were of the grinning cat, the white rabbit wielding a pocketwatch, a sketch of a strange forest, an image of humanoid chess pieces fighting eachother, and others. These drawings matched the descriptions Alice had given him, and Doctor Wilson knew it.

"This girl has had this madness inside her mind for all these years…" said Doctor Wilson aloud. A knock on the door caught his attention. "Come in."

The door of his office opened and Nurse D. entered.

"You wanted to talk to me, Doctor," said Nurse D as she closed the door and sat in a chair offered by Doctor Wilson.

"I wanted to confide in you regarding Alice," said Doctor Wilson.

"In what context?" asked Nurse D.

"Alice talked to me today, a lot. She told me a lost of interesting, and yet disturbing things," said Doctor Wilson.

"What did she say?" asked Nurse D., leaning forwards in interest.

"Alice described to me a nonsensical world she visits whilst asleep or in her catatonic state, which she has called Wonderland. While her description was lengthy, she basically described Wonderland as a place where all of the inhabitants are mad, obsessed with something or are just insane in their own right, and the impossible is quite possible," described Doctor Wilson.

"My goodness," said Nurse D., Doctor Wilson passing her Alice's drawings so she could examine them. "Are these drawings of this dream world?"

"Indeed," said Doctor Wilson, rising from his chair and moving to the window.

He stared down at the countryside in the distance, noticing a stray cat emerging from the nearby undergrowth and disappearing out of sight.

"She said that the animals and plants could talk, there were soldiers resembling giant playing cards, an endless hedge maze, a grinning cat who could turn invisible at will, a race where birds cheat to win, and she created a lake with her own tears," continued Doctor Wilson. "She said that she first visited this place by falling down a rabbit hole, and a second time by walking through a looking glass."

"Do you think she has had some psychological problems before the fire?" asked Nurse D.

"Perhaps, or perhaps she was just dreaming and this fantasy world has lived on in her subconscious mind," said Doctor Wilson. "But then, she told that she had not seen the world for ten years."

"Ten years of catatonia," whispered Nurse D. in realisation.

"She told that Wonderland had become, in a manner, her own personal hell," said Doctor Wilson, turning around to face Nurse D. "Now, I believe that Wonderland is a mentally physical form of Alice's subconscious mind, and the event of the fire traumatized her and perhaps that her guilt and inner emotions were hidden away in Wonderland and altered Alice's perspective of it."

"How did she describe it?" asked a horrified Nurse D.

"In short, her dream world has become a world of sheer, chaotic terror, and unmitigated blood-lust. She spoke of a nightmare realm where everything is out to destroy her. Bayonet-wielding ants, flesh-eating plants, living mushrooms, carnivorous fish, abominations that spew out fire and corrupted souls, and some of her old "friends" in the dream world have been turned evil," said Doctor Wilson. "And something she has mentioned has given me an epiphany."

"Go on, Doctor," said Nurse D.

"Alice mentioned a person called the Queen of Hearts, who rules Wonderland," said Doctor Wilson. "She describes what she was like, but she said that she wanted to kill her in a lot of gruesome manners. I believe that this Queen may be an obstacle for Alice to clear in order to escape her inner conflict and perhaps get better."

"And how do we help her? If it is in her mind, then there's very little we can do," said Nurse D.

"Alice likely blames herself for her parents' death and the destruction of her home," explained Doctor Wilson. "We must help to confront these forms of guilt and convince Alice that she is not responsible. Then, she may properly regain her consciousness."

"Well, then, we better get started," a confident smile suddenly popping up on Nurse D's face.

"Agreed," said Doctor Wilson.

…

The next day, Doctor Wilson was confidently walking towards Alice's room, determined to immediately help his patient escape her inner torment and possibly self-destruction, aware that if she completely submitted to her self-imposed guilt, she would likely fall into total catatonia.

However, as he approached her door, there was a loud scream and the two twin orderlies stumbled their way out of the room and rushed towards Doctor Wilson, passing by him.

"Hey, you two!" shouted Doctor Wilson, angry that the two were in Alice's room.

He immediately headed for Alice's room, only to be suddenly thrown to the floor as a blurred figure raced out of the room and charged down the corridor after the orderlies. Getting to his feet, Doctor Wilson was astonished to see the person who knocked him over was Alice, pursuing the fleeing orderlies with a spoon raised in her hand like a butcher knife. Anticipating trouble, Doctor Wilson joined the chase. Rounding a corner, he witnessed Alice tackle one of orderlies to the floor, kicked him hard in the gut and then pounced at the other one, ramming the spoon right into his facial cheek as hard as she could. The attacked orderly roared with pain and collapsed beside his twin.

"Alice, stop!" shouted Doctor Wilson, running to restrain Alice with several other doctors and orderlies. The rough-looking orderlies grabbed Alice under the arms and attempted to drag her to the ground, but she suddenly leapt up and kicked the two in the faces, and went at the twin orderlies who were being helped up and led away by doctors. Doctor Wilson got in between Alice and her targets, and managed to cause Alice to stop.

"No!" she shouted angrily, pure venom in her voice.

She leapt away from Doctor Wilson, running away down another corridor. Doctor Wilson and others gave chase, passing by Nurse D. who looked on from a ward's door with a look of shock. Alice's pursuit ended when she ran into a crossroads near the entrance of the asylum. Doctor Wilson panicked for a moment, wondering if she would flee to the outside world where she would be lost. Orderlies and doctors quickly blocked all of the exits off, leaving Alice with no where to go.

Emotionally distraught, Alice screamed and stabbed her wrist with the spoon, attempting to dig into the veins to draw blood.

"STOP!" screamed a new voice, an arm grabbing Alice's arm and held it up in the air in a controlled state, the spoon still in her grasp.

Alice spun around the attack the person restraining her, only to stop completely upon making eye contact with the person. Doctor Wilson looked on surprise. A young woman, several years older than Alice was restraining her. She had long sandy-brown hair and emerald eyes that matched Alice's, and she stared at Alice with a look of sadness, disappointment and concern.

Alice continued to stare at the woman with horrified and shocked eyes, her mouth hanging open slightly. The spoon fell from her hand and clattered onto the floor. The two women stared eachother for what felt like an eternity. The older woman's face eventually broke into a smile.

"It's mean a while," she said casually.

"You…" said Alice, and she suddenly keeled over into the woman's arms.

Doctor Wilson moved in and was handed Alice by the woman. He lifted up Alice into his arms and stared at the older woman.

"Thank you, but who are you?" asked Doctor Wilson.

"My name is Lorina," said the woman. "I am Alice's sister."

…

After some time of recovery, Alice had been placed back in her room, her wrists bandaged by Doctor Wilson, but she was not held down on her bed with leather straps. The two twin orderlies had admitted that they had been abusing and were heavily punished by the Superintendent who turned out to be their nephew.

Doctor Wilson and Alice's older sister Lorina were in the room, both observing Alice with the door closed.

"I had no idea it was this serious," said an upset Lorina, not taking her eyes off her sleeping sister.

"Not wanting to be rude, ma'am, but where have you been for the past ten years!" said an angry Doctor Wilson.

"Looking for Alice," said Lorina, turning to Doctor Wilson, close to tears. "I was exploring Africa with my fiancé, when I got a letter regarding my parents' death, but nothing was mentioned about Alice. I spent the next ten years going to every hospital in England and Wales in search of my sister. I eventually tracked her down to here, under my mother's maiden name. I expect my sudden appearance has brought this new sleep upon her. It's my fault."

"I've already got Alice wrapped in self-imposed guilt, I do not think I can handle her sister as well," said Doctor Wilson. "But I think you can help her overcome her guilt and wake up."

"You said she was catatonic," said Lorina.

"She fazes in and out," said Doctor Wilson. "She often does it when reminded of the past. I put a lit match in front of her face one and she was screaming for the rest of the night."

"Oh, my dear sister…" said Lorina, beginning to cry. Doctor Wilson reached into his pocket and brought out a hankerchief which Lorina took and dried her eyes with. "I hope she can forgive me."

"Forgive you?" asked Doctor Wilson.

"For not being with her for all these years," said Lorina. "I feel so useless!"

"I'm sure Alice will understand," said Doctor Wilson. A thought occurred to him. "Lorina, if I may call you that, did Alice ever mention about a place called Wonderland?"

Lorina flinched in surprise, and turned back to Alice with a look of nostalgia on her face.

"She would not stop talking about Wonderland. I was the first person she told about it, but I just thought she had made it up, but she seemed quite obsessed with it. Why do you ask?" said Lorina.

"I believe Wonderland is what Alice sees as the physical form of her subconscious mind," explained Doctor Wilson. "Because of her guilt and the retreat into her mind caused Alice's inner mind to warp Wonderland and now she is waging war in an inner struggle, hopefully to destroy her guilt. I intend on helping her with facing her self-imposed guilt and helping her recover."

"Then I will do what I can to help," said Lorina, rising to her feet and raising a clenched fist of determination.

"I am thankful, and I'm sure Alice will be as well," said Doctor Wilson.

A grunt came from Alice and both of her watchers turned in shock as her eyes snapped open and in a panicked frenzy attempted to free herself from the leather straps that held her down. Her eyes darted around wildly, until they settled on Lorina. Alice fell silent and still suddenly as she kept constant eye contact with her sister. Lorina slowly approached her sister and sat down beside her bed.

"Hello, Alice," said Lorina. "I'm…I'm so sorry!"

And with that Lorina broke down in tears and hid her face in her hand. Alice looked on with an emotionless expression, but this quickly faded and she attempted to nudge her hand towards her sister, but the leather straps held her down. Doctor Wilson knew what to do, and quickly removed the straps. Alice slowly lifted herself up, and to Doctor Wilson's surprise and relief that she pulled her sister into a hug, probably the most civilized thing she had done since she first opened her eyes.

"Sister…" said Alice quietly, as the two sisters embraced.

Doctor Wilson smiled to himself and quietly departed to give the separated sisters some time together. After several minutes, Lorina exited from the room with a tear-stained face but a smile to match.

"She went back to sleep. She said that she needed to end it," said Lorina.

"End what?" asked Doctor Wilson.

"Whatever is going on inside her head," said Lorina. "But I'll be there every step of the way for her. Will you, Doctor?"

"That is what I am supposed to be doing," said Doctor Wilson with a reassuring nod and a smile. "Let's hope Alice can face her guilt and other emotions."

"You said her guilt was her only issue," said Lorina.

"That is her main obstacle to overcome, but I expect other factors to her catatonia are also blocking her path to sanity," said Doctor Wilson. "One big factor, most likely, is her fear."

…

Hopefully Chapter 8 will come out quicker than Chapter 6 did.


	8. Uninvited Fear

**Chapter 8: Uninvited Fear**

"Lorina!" screamed Alice in terror, not wishing to be separated from her sister again, but it quickly dawned upon her that she was back in the nightmarish realm of Wonderland, her world, her hell.

She found herself strapped down to a bed or a table of some sort by metal chains, in a very warped room. Stairs and passageways were everywhere, and she recognised some of the psychotic children walking around.

"Alice!?" shouted the voice of the Cheshire Cat. Alice looked around the bizarre room until she spotted the Cheshire Cat sitting upside-down on a wall above her. "Are you alright?"

"Cheshire-puss? Yes, I am alright. Why are you upside-down?" said Alice.

"You are the one upside-down," said Cheshire Cat, briefly scowling at being called his hated nickname.

The Cheshire Cat vanished then reappeared beside Alice, and suddenly producing the Vorpal Blade, he sliced though the chains like they were made of paper. Alice suddenly shot upwards and landed on the ceiling. However, when she opened her eyes, she saw that everything now looked more normal – she had been strapped to the ceiling. The Cheshire Cat reappeared beside her and handed her the Vorpal Blade.

"This place is confusing," said Alice, looking around with an annoyed expression.

"You haven't figured that out yet?" asked the Cheshire Cat sarcastically, earning a frown from Alice.

"Where are we?" asked Alice.

"The Mad Hatter's laboratory," said the Cheshire Cat. "It seems our suspicions were confirmed, the Hatter has indeed been corrupted. I took a look around before you awoke, and saw some truly horrible things."

"Like what?" asked Alice.

"You will likely witness them sooner or later," said the Cheshire Cat, vanishing.

Alone now, Alice checked her pockets, only to find that all of her weapons aside from then Jack-O-Bomb, and the pieces of the Eyestaff were missing. Holding the Vorpal Blade tightly, Alice headed off for the nearest door to find her weapons and more importantly, the Eyestaff piece that the Mad Hatter possessed. What ran in her mind now were a mixed bunch of feelings, about her sister Lorina, the betrayal of the Mad Hatter, and still what had turned Wonderland into a nightmare.

Opening a door, Alice found herself in a long corridor lined with mirrors. She expected to see a glass table appear, but one didn't. Moving slowly down the corridor, she looked at reflection and saw that the reflection of the mirror made it looked like she was in an endless maze of mirrors. Moving on, Alice reached the end of the corridor and rounded a corner, finding another hallway, but this one was lined with doors with barred windows. Alice's ears were soon filled with the familiar sounds of insane cries, screams, shouts and laughter.

"I can't even escape the asylum in here," said Alice to herself.

Moving on, she stopped by one of the barred doors and peered inside. She saw the crazed children, one of them shattering the face of a clock in the cell with a shard of glass. She checked several other cells, finding these strange insane children, seemingly imprisoned in their own bodies changing their emotions every few seconds.

"Cheshire Cat?" called Alice, and the grinning cat appeared beside her.

"You called?" he responded.

"Who are all of these children and what drove them insane?" asked Alice.

The Cheshire Cat's grin suddenly faded and he turned away from Alice, who noticed this and turned to face the Cheshire Cat.

"I'd never thought I would have to tell you the crimes I had committed during this nightmare of a war," hissed the Cheshire Cat. He turned around to face Alice, a grim expression on his face. "These children are from the asylum."

"What!?" cried Alice in surprise. "How is that possible?"

"Because the White Rabbit called them to Wonderland. The asylum you were hospitalised in was filled with people who were just as mad as you, and we decided that they would be more suitable candidates to help destroy the Queen of Hearts," explained the Cheshire Cat, looking around for nothing in particular. "We believed that if we kept you safe, away from Wonderland, than these other people could defeat the Queen without having to get you involved."

"And?" said Alice.

"Our problem was that we could only contact children, and they all seemed insanely eager to help, or at least escape the asylum," continued the Cheshire Cat. "But once they saw the world that Wonderland had become, it drove them completely insane and all ran off to the far corners of Wonderland. Most ended up here, in the Mad Hatter's own twisted asylum. This is our greatest folly, mine, Rabbit's, Caterpillar's, and the Mad Hatter's. This might have been what caused the Mad Hatter to betray us."

Alice remained silent but she simply glared down at the Cheshire Cat with cold eyes.

"Hate me if you want, I don't care," said the Cheshire Cat, and he began to disappear.

"Wait, don't go," said Alice.

"As you wish, Alice," said the Cheshire Cat in surrender. "Punish me as you see fit."

"I am not going to," said Alice and knelt down, pulling the Cheshire Cat into a hug, which stunned the feline immensely. "I could never punish you. I punished the White Rabbit by shouting at him and he was murdered, I will not do the same to you. But this was my burden to bare, dealing with the Queen of Hearts, not any others. Understand, Cheshire-puss?"

"Yes, I do, and I'll let that one to slide," said the Cheshire Cat, his grin returning to his face as the hug ended.

Knowing she would be unable to do anything to help the children, Alice moved on with a mouthing of "I'm sorry" as she went, hurrying down the corridor, the Cheshire Cat following on foot.

…

After navigating their way through the mirror maze, the two encountered some more horrifying creatures. One was a Nightmare Spider, shadowy arachnids with the face of a china doll, who attempted to ensnare both Alice and the Cheshire Cat into their clutches. They also encountered mechanical clockwork men, steam shooting out of funnels built into their shoulders, and they moved on single wheels. They produce arms resembling automatic rifles and opened fire on the two freedom fighters, Alice forcefully having to take cover from the bullets the automatons fired, before she could get near. After being attacked by seemingly endless amounts of automatons, Alice shouted a resounding "To hell with it!" and went on the onslaught, hacking the automatons to pieces with swift slashes of the Vorpal Blade.

Tired and annoyed, Alice approached a pair of doors and burst through them, entering a room with two staircases leading up to another level, and two familiar faces chatting in the middle of the room: Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Both identical, the Tweedles wore red and white striped jumpers, white trousers and propeller beanies on their heads. However, Tweedledum was the size of a dwarf, whilst Tweedledee was large and fat, and had to keep pulling his trousers up. The two turned when they spotted Alice and the Cheshire Cat enter.

"Look, Dum, it's "Whatshername" off the neurotics ward, the nurse's favourite lunatic," said Tweedledee, breaking into a gruesome smile.

"Alice, isn't it. Who let her out, then?" asked Tweedledum in a cocky accent, a smirk appearing on his scrawny face. "They likely blame us."

"She'll need more medicine. Strong medicine," said Tweedledee sadistically.

"Do you think she's got anything to eat?" asked Tweedledum.

"Doubt it, she never finished her grub at the asylum," said Tweedledee. "But if she had more meat on her, she'd make a delectable dish."

"You despicable, grotesque and smelly louts!" shouted Alice, already irritated by the Tweedles' comments and behaviour. "I won't let you torment me anymore. I'll fill your bellies, alright!"

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall," said the Cheshire Cat.

"Spare me the platitude. Do you have any useful advice?" asked Alice, glaring at the Cheshire Cat.

"Use their size against them," said the Cheshire Cat.

Alice moved to attack when Tweedledum wagged a scolding finger at her. He threw back his head, opened his mouth and stuck his hand, and then his entire arm down his throat, much to Alice's astonishment. After some sounds of gagging, Tweedledum produced a longsword from his mouth and casually tossed it to Tweedledee. Tweedledee lumbered over towards Alice, swinging the sword around in his hand like a cane and then brought it down on Alice's head. Diving out of the way, Alice attempted to stab the Vorpal Blade in Tweedledee's stomach, only for Tweedledee's stomach to open up and making the blade hit nothing.

"What!?" cried Alice in alarm.

"Surprised?" asked Tweedledee. "That's not all that we can do."

To Alice's horror, Tweedledee suddenly split around the stomach and miniature clone of him leapt out, flying in midair using the propeller beanie on its head. It opened its mouth and fired fireballs at Alice.

"Some help would be nice!" shouted Alice running across the room from the clone to Tweedledum, attempting to use him as a target.

"Why didn't you say so?" asked the Cheshire Cat, appearing out of thin air and sprung onto Tweedledee's face, slashing at his flesh with claws. Tweedledee shouted in pain and wobbled around with the cat attached to his had.

"Get off me, you stupid cat!" roared Tweedledee, wandering around uncontrollably.

"Brother, stop!" cried Tweedledum, seeing Tweedledee stumble towards him and Alice. Alice moved towards Tweedledee and tripped him over, before diving out of the way.

The Cheshire Cat leapt off Tweedledee's face, giving the large man enough time to see his giant bulk come down on his shorter brother, and completely crush him under his massive body. Tweedledee let out a horrified roar and leapt up, his brother's remains sliding off his front. Turning to Alice he shouted angrily, seized the clone by the neck and tossed him at Alice. Alice quickly pulled out the Jack-O-Bomb and tossed it at the clone, blowing it to smithereens.

She then ran at Tweedledee with the regenerated bomb, jumped up his body, wrenched his mouth open and stuffed the Jack-O-Bomb down his throat. Tweedledee grabbed Alice by the arm and tossed her away. As she got up with a victorious smile on her face, Alice brief moment of triumph faded away as she saw Tweedledee's stomach open up again and he pulled out the Jack-O-Bomb.

"Catch!" he laughed and tossed the bomb at Alice.

Alice had no time to react, as the bomb exploded in her face. With a flash of flames and blast of energy from the explosion, Alice went flying backwards and smacked hard into a wall. Feeling a sharp pain in the back of her head, Alice looked around with a blurred vision, seeing the form of Tweedledee approaching her.

"Alice!" cried the Cheshire Cat. He suddenly rounded on Tweedledee and with a shriek, shot up at Tweedledee and rammed his clawed paw right through the man's head and out of the other side.

Tweedledee let out a quiet whimper and he fell over, the Cheshire Cat hopping off and walking over to Alice, who was slowly getting to her feet.

"Are you alright?" asked the Cheshire Cat.

"I'll survive," said Alice, getting to her feet, and picked up the Vorpal Blade and the regenerated Jack-O-Bomb.

She strode over to the dead form of Tweedledee and glared down at the corpse.

"Looks like I win," said Alice.

"Poor timing, good help is so hard to find these days," said a sinister voice.

Alice gasped loudly and her eyes widened in horror. The voice sounded so familiar. So nostalgic. So heartbreaking to hear. Gulping quietly and hiding her briefly exposed emotions of betrayal, Alice turned on her heel and glanced upwards, seeing the hideous features of the Mad Hatter, an old friend turned nemesis. She felt ill upon seeing his green disfigured face and lurid grin, and his silvery eyes glared back at her with a look of malice in them. The Mad Hatter suddenly laughed cheerfully.

"Come in, my dear, you're just in time for tea," he said, acting as if was the same old Hatter that Alice knew.

"I only take mine with friends," hissed Alice, putting all of her negative emotions into that one sentence. The Mad Hatter's smile faded for a brief moment, clearly disturbed by this response, but he quickly resurrected the smile.

"Count me to be among them. Accurately and honestly, that is the truth of it," said the Mad Hatter. "But then again, you and truth are not on familiar terms."

"And you would know?" responded Alice, acting more casually and folding her arms, the Vorpal Blade still in her hand.

"Truth is always bitter to those who fear it," said the Mad Hatter, raising a finger to express his belief.

"I fear nothing," stated Alice. The Mad Hatter's grin widened even more, and he struggled to keep a laugh from coming out.

"False. You fear much," said the Mad Hatter, and he began to count on his fingers. "A return trip to the asylum for example, the memories that drove you there that you have since buried deep within the vastness of your mind, even more years in supervised hospitalisation. Ah, yes! You fear much indeed, Alice!"

Alice looked away, briefly lost in thought. A flash of an image of flames appeared in Alice's mind for a second. The Cheshire Cat stood nearby, eyeing the Mad Hatter.

"Of course, that could be avoided…" said the Mad Hatter cryptically.

"What!? Tell me, what do you mean?" said Alice, looking up in shock, a look of strange hope in her eyes.

"We can talk about it over tea," said the Mad Hatter, and with a snap of his fingers, the floor under Alice suddenly collapses under her feet.

Alice heard the Cheshire Cat shout her name as she felt herself somersaulting through the air, a blur of colours spinning around her. Alice let out a scream, which was quickly silenced when she landed in a chair. Alice found herself sitting in a wooden, bloodied chair, at one end of a long tea table. The Mad Hatter sat in a chair at the other end, examining a familiar looking pocket watch.

"You took your time, Alice," said the Mad Hatter. "Ten years sleeping in fact. Look how Wonderland has fallen by the wayside during your absence, allowing that wretched Queen of Hearts to destroy the land you so dearly love."

"And how did she do that?" asked Alice, shifting uncomfortably on the chair. She looked up, expecting to see a large hole in the ceiling, but there was nothing, just a large number of metal chains and gears hanging from the ceiling.

The Mad Hatter gave Alice a quizzical look, and retracted the pocketwatch into his clothes.

"I would've assumed Caterpillar or that mangy Cat told you what they knew," said the Mad Hatter. "I hate to say it, but I am in the dark as much as they are. In short, after your tragedy so to speak, the Queen went quite mad and declared war on the rest of Wonderland. She killed her husband, the King of Hearts, and manipulated the Red Chess Pieces to join her campaign against the rest of Wonderland. Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, the White Rabbit and others all formed a resistance group against her, and the past ten years have been hell. Now then, how about some tea?"

The Mad Hatter got to his feet, using his cane to walk. Alice eyed him as he moved across the chequered floor to an odd looking teapot sitting on a stool. The Mad Hatter prodded the teapot sharply, and it suddenly sprung up on mechanical spider-like legs. Alice's eyes widened briefly in surprise.

"Teapot, fetch the hot water, now!" ordered the Mad Hatter, pointing to a boiler and piping built into the opposite wall.

Alice continued to watch the teapot as it leapt off the stool and crawled across the floor on its legs, and approached a tap beside the boiler. Steam hissed from the boiler, as hot water poured into the teapot's interior from the tap. Alice looked away, and briefly glancing at the Mad Hatter, looked around the room. Her eyes quickly spotted the rest of her weapons, placed in a glass cabinet, but it was clearly locked. Alice knew any attempt to retrieve them now would get her caught, so she stopped herself from moving off the chair.

Her eyes scanned the rest of the room, finally settling on an open book balanced on a stand. The two pages were filled with notes, bizarre symbols and sketches. One was of the automatons Alice had encountered in the hallways, and another was of a large dragon creature with large metal wings and a look in its eyes, one of great evil. Alice stared at the dragon. A flash of flames burned in her mind, Alice holding her head in pain for a split second.

"That is my collection of achievements," spoke the Mad Hatter, catching Alice's attention. The Mad Hatter moved from a cupboard, carrying two cups with him. He placed them in front of Alice and his chair and then moved to the book, closing it. "I call it "The Technical Marvels of M. Hatter". It is quite good if I do say so myself."

"Well you would, you wrote it," said Alice, raising an annoyed eyebrow.

"Quite so, Alice," said the Mad Hatter with a chortle. He moved away again to a spice rack.

"What happened to you?" asked Alice softly, catching the Mad Hatter by surprise. He turned around to face her.

"Beg you're pardon?" he asked.

"I mean, how did you become like this?" asked Alice.

"That can be explained at another time," said the Mad Hatter, noticing the teapot leaping up onto the tea table. "I'll be with you in a minute." He examined the pots on the spice rack, and picked out one labelled "Azalea". A sinister smile appeared on the Hatter's face, as he spun around and approached the table. "Well, I think it's time we forgot all of these terrible times and celebrated our survival."

He casually poured the pot's contents into the teapot, which turned itself slightly to read the pot's label. The Mad Hatter then picked up the teapot, placed its lid back on and shook it up and down, looking away in disinterest. He then placed the teapot back down and pointed in the direction of Alice's teacup. The teapot complied, moving to Alice's teacup and poured its contents into it. Alice glanced at the teapot, as it seemed to glance up at her and it shook its "head" back and forth, as if saying "Don't drink it." Alice nodded lightly, eyeing the Mad Hatter who looking away, flexing his limbs. The teapot turned away and poured the rest of its contents into the Mad Hatter's teacup. Alice glared at the Mad Hatter, knowing he would not want drink the contents.

"Nice try," said Alice.

"Indeed it was," said the Mad Hatter, shrugging lightly as he raised his cup. "Cheers!"

Smiling in a sarcastic manner, Alice raised her cup too. The Mad Hatter then pulled down a lever hidden underneath the table. A buzzsaw raced from out of the wall behind Alice and sped towards the back of her chair. Alice immediately, leapt up from the chair as it was smashed to pieces by the buzzsaw. She tossed the teacup at the Mad Hatter, who leapt up just as fast and swatted the teacup away with his cane, the cup shattering as it hit the floor. Alice ran across the table, drawing the Vorpal Blade. The teapot dived for cover, as Alice sprung off the other end of the table and attempted to stab the Mad Hatter in the chest. The Mad Hatter blocked the large knife with his cane.

"You traitor!" roared Alice, all of her anger suddenly spilling out.

"Such fire in you, Alice," laughed the Mad Hatter, striking Alice and forcing her backwards. "But you call me a traitor? Who was it that left Wonderland to be ravaged by war for ten years?"

Alice's eyes widened, guilt visibly flooding into her eyes. Screaming in rage, Alice swung her knife through the air. She knocked the Mad Hatter's cane to the floor and then stabbed him in the chest with her knife. Expecting for him to bleed, Alice was left stunned when the Mad Hatter sighed in exasperation and casually removed the Vorpal Blade from his chest – there was no new blood on the blade. The Mad Hatter tossed the knife to Alice.

"I'm curious. After killing me, what did you plan on doing next?" asked the Mad Hatter quizzically.

Alice suddenly gained a desire to run away, and she did, bursting out of the nearest set of doors and down a corridor.

"You can't run or hide from your fears, Alice! They will consume you!" called the Mad Hatter as she ran out of sight. "For I am your fear."

…

Alice just kept, running through the Mad Hatter's asylum of doors with no sense of direction. Her eyes darted about in all random directions, looking out for the Cheshire Cat if he were to suddenly appear. Feeling her legs beginning to tire, Alice blindly charged through the nearest door, collapsing in a heap on the cold floor. Lost, confused and enraged, Alice's dam of coldness crumbled away and she began crying. Refusing to heave herself up, she just lay on the floor and cried her eyes out. Her moment of despair.

"Dormy, wake up, someone has come to rescue us!" cried a voice.

Alice forced herself to look up, and was surprised but horrified at what she saw. The room she ran into looked like a torture chamber. Chained to a large wall was the March Hare, wild-eyed and not the hare he used to be. He was now a half-hare, half-automaton hybrid. His right arm had become a mesh of wood and churning gears, and the same with his lower torso. A belt was wrapped the March Hare's lower lip, pulling it far down, exposing his bottom jaw and teeth.

"Just a human, probably useless," said a high-pitched voice from across the room. On an operation table, or better yet strapped to the table, was the Dormouse, or "Dormy" for short. Dormy had undergone some startling changes too. A metal helmet was attached to his head, and his legs had been replaced with large gear-controlled mechanical limbs. What was most horrifying was that part of Dormy's skin had been removed, exposing his innards. Alice slowly heaved herself to her feet, examining the two victims back and forth before looking away in sadness.

"Please, undo us from these contraptions!" cried the March Hare.

"Or you could give us tea if you prefer," said Dormy, seemingly oblivious to his situation.

"What can I do?" asked Alice sadly, looking at the floor. "I couldn't save Rabbit, I couldn't save the Hatter. What makes you think that I can save you?"

"The Mad Hatter went insane on his own," said the March Hare. "Speaking of which, how is the Queen of Hearts not like a typhoon?"

"Both are powerful and discriminately cruel," said Alice. "But the typhoon doesn't mean to be."

"Good answer, wrong, but good," said the March Hare.

"But you two are in real danger," said Alice.

"Danger? I wish to go home and have some tea," said Dormy. He yawned and suddenly dropped off to sleep.

"The Hatter drugs Dormy a lot, so it makes him tired and clueless as a rock," explained the March Hare. "He'll be here at six o'clock, as sharp as clockwork.

"But, yet, what can I do to help? I've hardly saved anyone!" said Alice.

"Do not despair," said the March Hare. "Even in my current predicament, I still believe you will save us, Alice, otherwise…"

Alice turned, and saw the March Hare glancing at some red blood splattered on the wall, written out as a message of: "You're Next!". This sent a chill down Alice's spine.

"Alice, in here!" shouted a voice from behind a set of doors in the room. Glancing back at the March Hare, Alice moved to the doors and opened them. The doors led into a circular room, where the Gryphon sat in a giant birdcage. Gryphon was a half eagle-half lion hybrid, a very noble and brave figure in Wonderland. An unexpected smile crept onto Alice's face, like a ray of hope and light.

"Gryphon! You're alive!" cried Alice, her despair turning into undisputed joy. "Mock Turtle will be so thrilled."

"I'm glad you made it here Alice," said Gryphon, smiling back and nodding pleasantly. "But we must get out of here and defeat the Mad Hatter. The Hare was right, the Hatter will be here at six o'clock."

"For his tea?" asked Alice.

"To check on his hideous experiments. Using gears, springs, levers and mechanical gizzards, the Hatter turns his prisoners into automatons, or at least kills them in the process. I was to share the same fate as those other two, but the Hatter got distracted by you're presence. He intends on turning everyone in Wonderland into automatons so he can rule!" explained Gryphon.

"That's terrible…" said Alice, looking around in horror. "But, I have to do something, right?"

"Yes," said Gryphon calmly. "In order to prevent everyone from being turned into monsters, the Hatter must die. I know this might be hard on you, to kill him. But it must be done."

"Six o'clock, right?" said Alice. Gryphon nodding in confirmation. "Well, perhaps his schedule is coming earlier today."

Alice glanced at Gryphon, a look of resolve appearing on her face.

"I've been running for so long, and sleeping for longer. Running from my fear, my guilt. And now it is time to be rid of it, once and for all!" she cried, and she turned away, marching out of the two rooms and back into the corridor.

Glancing left and right, Alice spotted a flight of stairs nearby and hurried to them. Running up the stairs as fast she could go, Alice ran through a pair of doors, and found herself in a large opened arena.

Walking out into the large arena, Alice quickly observed that a large glass dome was covering the arena. Moving across the arena to the glass wall surrounding the place, Alice got a view of what Wonderland looked like from such a height. Most of the landscape was barren, dead and in disrepair. Large red tentacles were everywhere, diving in and out of the landscape, through mountains, forests and underground. Alice's eyes trailed the source of the tentacles, but lost track as her eyes scanned a nearby area of volcanoes, and beyond that, the massive haunting structure of the Queen of Hearts' castle, standing over the rest of Wonderland. Alice glared at the structure, where her fate and the fate of Wonderland would be decided.

The sound of a clock chiming caught Alice's attention. Spinning around, she saw a large clock built above the door. It was six o'clock.

"I adjusted the clock so you wouldn't have to wait," said a voice. Alice turned and saw the Cheshire Cat grinning proudly at her.

"Where the hell have you been?" asked Alice.

"Looking for you and getting you're weapons out of that cabinet," said the Cheshire Cat. Wrapped in the cat's tail were Alice's other weapons, which he placed at her feet.

"Thank you," said Alice, picking up the weapons and putting them in her pockets.

"Be careful, Alice. The Hatter is pretty intelligent and may try to psych you out," said the Cheshire Cat.

"He's already tried that," said Alice.

"Then I guess I shall have to beat you into submission," said another voice.

Alice looked up. The Mad Hatter had appeared out of thin air. With a swipe of his cane, he swatted the Cheshire Cat across the arena and away. Alice immediately leapt at the Mad Hatter, slashing at his face with the Vorpal Blade. The Mad Hatter recoiled, holding his face in pain after receiving a burning cut. He attacked back with his cane, Alice blocking and striking with her knife. This continued for some time, the two moving about the arena like two skilled fencers. Alice glanced towards the Cheshire Cat, seeing the feline alive and in one piece.

"You know Alice, I assume you are still wondering what became of me during the war in Wonderland?" asked the Mad Hatter as he traded blows with Alice.

"I'm listening," said Alice, leaping away as the Mad Hatter swiped at her with his cane.

"When you went into a catatonic state, it seemed your emotions themselves corrupted the very core of this world. People all over the land fell into despair, going quite insane if I do say so myself. That is likely why the Queen went crazy as she did, because of this strange impact of your buried emotions," explained the Mad Hatter.

"My emotions!?" said Alice. "That's impossible."

"As impossible as a talking cat?" asked the Mad Hatter, Alice stopping for a brief moment in response, prompting a chuckle from the Mad Hatter. "As for me, you believed your fear could be controlled by me, your fear of what you had done. But I could not control it. It consumed me and drove me to what I am now."

Alice lunged at the Mad Hatter, knocking him to the floor and stabbed him in the chest again, carving down his shirt and ripping it in two. Alice gasped as his body was revealed, springing backwards. The Mad Hatter rose, his body no longer organic but a complex mess of gears and steampunk items. A clockwork heart of sorts was visible within the Mad Hatter's new body.

"What in the hell?" said Alice, disturbed by her old friend's form.

"Impressive isn't it, a work of art," said the Mad Hatter. "But I had to rid myself of my old body, to be free from the fear you tortured me with. And so I realised how I could be free from your fear, and my own. I realised I feared time, so I controlled him and made him mine. How do you think I've been able to move about so quickly?"

"If you can control time, than why haven't you just conquered Wonderland already?" asked Alice angrily.

"Now where would be the fun in that?" asked the Mad Hatter. "Now, stand still. I need to put you to sleep."

The Mad Hatter raised the tip of his cane and held it at full length, aiming at Alice like he was holding a firearm. Alice realised what was about to come and dived to the floor as the Mad Hatter fired bullets from his cane. He fired several more times, Alice running in a circle to avoid getting shot. The Mad Hatter moved his cane before Alice and fired again. Alice nearly skidded right into the path of the bullets, but fell over to escape.

"I've been asleep for far too long, Hatter!" shouted Alice, catching the Mad Hatter off guard. "I know damn well that Wonderland has fallen into chaos because of me, but I will save it."

"Fool, you are weak, afraid of your own shadow, your own memories," said the Mad Hatter. "You will be consumed by your own fear."

"No!" cried Alice, her eyes blazing with resolve. "All this time, while I've been trekking through this hellhole, I've been sure that I would die, and everyone would die. I've been stopped by flowers, insects, psychopathic idiots who want to be god, and seen my friends die! But now I've had enough, I am going to kill that crazy freak of a queen and save Wonderland, and you, nor some stupid dragon, are going to stop me!"

"Wha-?" cried the Mad Hatter.

"Your fear, Hatter, is the fear of dying," said Alice. "And guess what? Time's up!"

The Mad Hatter screamed almost insanely, clearly shaken by Alice's declaration. Charging at Alice, the Mad Hatter raised his cane like a sword, ready to lop Alice's head off.

"DIE YOU INSECT!!!" roared the Mad Hatter, bringing his cane down on Alice. However, in a split second, Alice vanished from where she stood, appearing beside the Mad Hatter and ran the Vorpal Blade through the Hatter's body, the shattered clockwork heart shooting out of the Hatter's back and flying away.

The Mad Hatter roared with pain, collapsing to his knees. Alice removed the blade, slicing away through the Mad Hatter's cane. She raised her blade above the Mad Hatter's head.

"Now, do you know what fear is?" asked Alice, eyes glaring unforgivably at the Mad Hatter.

The Mad Hatter suddenly moved and punched Alice hard in the face, causing a nosebleed. Shouting angrily, Alice pulled out the Jack-O-Bomb from her pocket and jammed it into the Mad Hatter's body. She glanced briefly at the Mad Hatter before racing across the arena to seek cover. The Mad Hatter glanced back and forth between the bomb in his body and the retreating form of Alice. He blinked once, a look of fear and loss in his eyes, and perhaps, regret.

"Alice, I…"

Alice was forced to turn around as a loud boom caught her attention, followed by a flash of light and another loud explosion. As Alice turned, she saw a gear fly past her head. Pieces of wood, metal, cogs and gears, went flying in all directions as the bomb inside the Mad Hatter's mechanical body exploded, taking the Hatter's torso with it. The Mad Hatter's body burst into flames.

As Alice looked on, time seemed to slow around and colour faded into a gloomy black and white form. She looked on as the Mad Hatter's burning, disintegrating body tumbled forwards slightly in slow motion. Falling to pieces, the Mad Hatter looked at Alice as he fell, his eyes never leaving her form for a moment as he went.

Alice's emotionless face began to slip away, moving from confusion to slight regret at what she had done. Her face then slid into one of sadness and shock, witnessing a silver tear slip of the Mad Hatter's eye. And then, another explosion occurred, a fireball bursting from where the Mad Hatter's head used to be before it exploded. Time whizzed back to the usual speed as the charred hat of the madman flipped through the air and rolled across the ground, stopping at Alice's feet. Alice looked down at it and then back up to where the Hatter's destroyed carcass stood for a brief moment before tumbling over onto the ground, flames burning upon the last remains of the Mad Hatter.

Silence filled the arena, aside from the sound of the burning fire and a quiet gust of wind from the explosions. The Cheshire Cat slowly approached Alice, as she stared at the Mad Hatter's body with lost eyes.

"Alice, are you alright?" asked the Cheshire Cat.

"I'll be fine," said Alice. "But where is the Jabberwock Eyestaff pieces?"

As if on cue, Gryphon bursts through the floor of the arena, flying into the air and then landed down beside the Mad Hatter's body. After digging around for a brief moment, he pulled out the pieces of the Eyestaff including a new piece. He walked over to Alice and handed the pieces to her.

"Here you are, Alice. I managed to bust my way out of my cage," said Gryphon. "It would be an honour to serve you as leader of the forces against the Queen of Hearts."

"Just be willing to do what you promise," said Alice, managing to fuse the Eyestaff pieces together.

"Very well, Alice," said Gryphon, bowing respectfully.

"What should we do with the Hatter's body?" asked the Cheshire Cat.

"Let it burn," said Alice, picking up the Hatter's trademark hat. "It will cremate itself."

The Cheshire Cat and Gryphon watched in silence as Alice walked away, placing the Eyestaff into her pocket, before clutching the hat in both hands, heading for the door. A single tear ran down Alice's cheek.

"Alice, where are you going?" asked Gryphon.

Alice stopped and turned, a smile on her tear-stained face.

"To save someone," said Alice.

…

Later, Alice marched out of the Mad Hatter's building in the direction of the Pale Realm, its twisting towers in the near distance. Behind her came the Cheshire Cat, Gryphon, a freed March Hare wheeling the snoozing Dormy out on a wheeled stretcher, and a large group of insane children and other Wonderland creatures.

Alice looked across the landscape back at the Queen of Hearts' looming castle, large black clouds looming overhead. A series of loud explosions echoed behind Alice, as the Mad Hatter's building exploded and crumbled away in a cloud of smoke.

On a dead tree, left perched on the end of a tree branch was the hat, blowing around in a harsh breeze. The memory of a man obsessed with time and fear, when he feared time itself.

…

**This chapter was particularly difficult to write as I didn't really know how to express the personality of the Mad Hatter, but I decided to make him a fear-bringing person who was afraid of death. His death was inspired by Nnoitra Jiruga's in Bleach.**


	9. Burning Memories

**Chapter 9: Burning Memories**

Dawn, if you want to call it that, rose over the decimated Wonderland. The day of war had arrived. The day either Alice or the Queen of Hearts would fall. After spending the night in the Pale Realm, Alice and her growing band of allies had been strategising how to capture the Queen and her palace, as well as eliminating the Jabberwock. The White King and Queen opened his castle to all refugees and casualties of the Queen's wrath, as more and more came to Alice's aid. Several familiar faces arrived to join the army, including the Mock Turtle, Bill, Mr. Mouse, and the Dodo, a ruffled bird with a cane and a pair of spectacles on his beak, who generally spent most of the evening complaining about anything he could think of. The Red Pieces retreated from their kingdom and fled to the Queen of Hearts' territory, Queensland.

As clouds roamed over the land, Alice flew out of the sky on Gryphon's back. The majestic bird glided through the air, Alice staring around at the once beautiful land, now crippled by war and bloodshed. Despite the Queen's pivotal role in the destruction, Alice knew that it was somehow her fault too. She just did not understand how or why it was her fault, but she knew it was, and she would have to face her demons, whatever form they would appear in. Alice's thoughts were interrupted upon spotting the familiar sight of the centre of Wonderland, where she had found the first piece of the Jabberwock's Eyestaff. Gryphon swooped down and elegantly landed on the ground. Alice hopped off his back and looked around for any signs of danger.

"The army is formed, and now all you need is the final piece of the Eyestaff," said Gryphon, looking around cautiously with his eyes, one golden-brown, the other an icy blue. "But to defeat the Queen, we must destroy the Jabberwock. Are you ready Alice?"

"Hello, there," said Alice, catching Gryphon's attention.

Alice was standing by a demolished brick wall, on which sat Humpty Dumpty, a man with shaped like an egg. The top part of his egg head was shattered and hollow, pieces lying around him. He stared down at Alice with uninterested eyes, and a cigar was placed in his mouth. Gryphon wandered over as Alice addressed Humpty Dumpty.

"What are you doing here? I didn't see you here before," said Alice, cocking her head sideways in curiosity, a remnant of her former childlike self emerging.

"I was here. You just didn't see me," grumbled Humpty Dumpty, not bothering to remove his cigar to speak properly. "No one ever sees me, and why would they? Just a broken shell of a man. No pun intended."

"If no one has seen you, why didn't you get their attention?" asked Alice, suddenly annoyed, folding her arms.

"I could not be arsed, they were too busy wrapped up in their own matters," said Humpty Dumpty. "And I've been here ever since. Anyway, what are you up to?"

"I'm going to slay the Jabberwock and then destroy the Queen of Hearts!" stated Alice boldly.

Humpty Dumpty wheezed violently on his cigar, a blast of smoke bursting from his mouth as he removed his cigar. He coughed and spluttered, and stared at Alice as if she had two heads.

"In the name of the Frabjous Day!" cried Humpty Dumpty. "Are you mad, lass!?"

"Maybe, or maybe not," said Alice. "But I am going to kill them both."

Humpty Dumpty's brief shock vanished as he sighed heavily, and smoked on his cigar again. He eyed the brick wall and nodded to himself.

"Alright, lass. You can go off to kill the Jabberwock if you want to, but since you're going to need more than a knife to kill him," said Humpty Dumpty.

"Like what?" asked Alice.

"Remove that brick down there," said Humpty Dumpty, pointing to a nearby brick lying in an upright position near his feet. "The White Rabbit dumped me with the blumin' weapon, saying that I should look after it and give it to you if anything happened to him, whatever that means."

Alice knelt down and removed the brick. A hole was visible behind the brick, and Alice instinctively reached inside with her hand. She instantly felt something long, and made of metal and wood. After some difficult manoeuvring in the hole, Alice managed to turn the object into a vertical position and pulled out the object, revealing a large blunderbuss gun, complete with a belt strap. Alice examined it in awe, a smile of excitement appearing on her face.

"Nice!" exclaimed Alice, stroking the firearm as if it were a cat. "This could come in handy. Thank you."

"Don't mention it," said Humpty Dumpty, placing his cigar back in his mouth. "Now, on your way please."

"Very well, but when I save Wonderland, I'll come back and fix you," said Alice, nodding in respect, before walking away with Gryphon.

As the girl and mythical creature walked away, the Cheshire Cat materialised out of thin air.

"Alice, the Oracle wishes for your presence," the feline said, grinning as he always did.

"Perfect, what does he want now?" asked Alice.

…

Later, Alice stood before the Oracle's cave, arms folded with an uninterested look on his face. The Cheshire Cat and Gryphon stood nearby, as the voice of the Oracle spoke.

"The time to act is at hand, no time for delay. For in order to checkmate the Queen, first the Jabberwock, you must slay."

"I already know that, how about give me something I can understand without you speaking in stupid riddles," snapped Alice angrily.

"Now there's no need for that kind of tongue, Alice," replied the Oracle, losing his booming voice and speaking in a more snobbish tone.

Alice's jaw dropped as the Caterpillar emerged from the cave, still puffing from his hookah pipe. She pointed an accusing finger at him.

"You! I should have known you'd play some trick on me like this!" she shouted, wanting to use the blunderbuss Humpty Dumpty had given her to blow the Caterpillar's head off.

"I apologise for deceiving you, Alice, but it was the only way to get you on your journey. If I had directly told you to gather the Jabberwock's Eyestaff, you would have likely flat out refused to," said the Caterpillar, his apology quickly turning into a lecture. "But what I said is true, the Jabberwock must be destroyed. He is the Queen's guard and most powerful soldier."

"I understand that, but what I don't yet know what has truly caused Wonderland's destruction aside from I am involved," said Alice grimly.

The Caterpillar exchanged glances with the Cheshire Cat and Gryphon, and then looked down at Alice with an almost sympathetic gesture.

"Only you can save yourself…" said the Caterpillar.

"Myself?" asked Alice, staring blankly at the Caterpillar. Her eyes widened like she had just had an epiphany "From death? I am not afraid to die, sometimes I welcome it with all I have seen. The people who have suffered and died because of me. Rabbit, the Duchess, the White King's son, even the Hatter…"

"Not death Alice, and those who have died can be saved if both you and Wonderland are," explained the Caterpillar. He stopped briefly to smoke from his hookah. "You withdrew from your world after the fire, all because you could not bear your terrible loss. You have deliberately, yet, unknowingly forgotten the memories of your loss so not to fall completely into despair. A wise move, but you will have to remember them sooner or later."

Alice let out a quiet gasp, a flash of flames and screaming appearing before her eyes. She blinked and everything was normal.

"When you answered Rabbit's call, you began to emerge from your tragedy. Stay on this path, Alice, and you will save us all," said the Caterpillar.

Alice nodded in acknowledgement and silently walked away, the blunderbuss strapped to her back via the belt. The Cheshire Cat followed. Gryphon remained with the Caterpillar and watched the two vanish out of sight.

"Caterpillar, if she regains her memories of the fire in the presence of the Jabberwock, it could destroy her," forewarned Gryphon.

"Which is why you should follow her from above, as her aerial protector," said the Caterpillar. "Go now, Gryphon. I have played my part, now it is your turn."

Gryphon nodded and spread his golden wings, taking off into the air. The Caterpillar watched the bird fly away, and then placed his hookah pipe back into his mouth in thought.

…

Alice walked alone up a rocky path in a mountainous area of Wonderland, dubbed by the Cheshire Cat as the Land of Fire and Brimstone, due to a large amount of visible lava pools. The cat himself had vanished to go on ahead and get a view of the landscape, leaving Alice by herself. Alice looked around, as she fiddled with her necklace, given to her by Lorina at a young age. Aside from her now destroyed rabbit toy, her necklace was her most treasure possession, the last vestige of her once innocent life. Alice stopped, and looked up to the clouded sky, eyes displaying wonder and concern.

"I think I understand now," said Alice aloud to nobody in particular. "All this time, I have been trying to save this place from monsters with god complexes, when the biggest danger to Wonderland was me. I have to restore this world, but if and when I kill the Jabberwock and the Queen, what becomes of me. Will I force myself to face the end, or will someone else kill me?"

Alice started moving again and rounded a corner, seeing something she did not expect. Perched on top of a rock face was an out-of-place building, a Victorian-style mansion. However, it was charred black and in ruins, like an explosion had ripped through it. Alice, being the curious type, was immediately drawn towards it. But this urge felt like it was the most vital thing she would have to in her life.

She ran, just rushing towards the burnt out mansion. Within minutes, the structure stood before her. Staring up at its large height, Alice felt a strange, horrid sense of familiarity and a burning pain in her gut which she did not recognise. Looking around, she hoped to see the Cheshire Cat or Gryphon appear to keep her company, but neither one came. She was alone, and her to face this strange place.

"Here I go," she said, pulling out the Vorpal Blade, gripping the handle tightly.

Alice breathed in and out, and then marched straight into the house, the front door being absent. As soon as she entered, Alice's nostrils were filled with the smell of fire, smoke and burning objects. As she coughed briefly as she inhaled some smoke, but moved on quickly. She walked through what appeared to be a foyer. Charred objects lay scattered across the blackened floor, some framed picture, or at least what remained of them, were hanging from the walls.

Alice moved through a door into a much larger room, like a miniature ballroom, due to a chandelier placed in a wrecked heap in the middle of the room. The ceiling and upper floors were gone, an orange and grey sky visible above, absorbing the black smoke of the house. Small flames were visible across the room. Alice's eyes drifted through the room, until she spied a table still standing. On it was a framed photo. Alice approached the photo and picked it up. It was covered in black ash, which she wiped off. She gasped in horror. On the photo were four people – a well dressed middle-aged man with a moustache and beard, a beautiful woman, and two girls.

"My family…" said Alice sadly. "I am…sorry…"

"You've kept me waiting, Alice!" spoke a demonic voice.

Alice flinched suddenly, dropping the photo of her family onto the floor, breaking it. Alice slowly turned, eyes fearful and alert, as the form of the mighty Jabberwock came into view. A green insectoid-like dragon, the Jabberwock had large metal and wooden wings, and a kiln or boiler built into his chest. He stared down at Alice with yellow, merciless and unforgiving eyes.

"Haven't you ever heard that punctuality is a virtue?" said the Jabberwock.

"You and my dentist's assistant have a lot in common," said Alice, trying to cover up her fear, but she felt her body shaking like a leaf caught in a strong gale.

"I suppose like that foolish rabbit, you are quite late," said the Jabberwock, who began to stride around the room, slowly circling Alice on his large spindly legs. "Between your dim-witted daydreaming and preening vanity, the hours just seem to fly by! There is barely time for anything else."

"Is that the best you can do, Jabberwock?" asked Alice, aiming the Vorpal Blade at him. "Second-rate insults that don't hurt me at all."

The Jabberwock leered down at her, his head ever so close to hers. He chortled maliciously, sending unease into Alice's heart.

"Your family was expected you. Expecting you to come to them, to warn them, to save them," said the Jabberwock abruptly, catching the vulnerable Alice off guard. "Perhaps they believed you might have warned them of the danger that winter's night, all so long ago. But they waited in vain and died for their troubles."

The pain that had been in Alice's gut suddenly exploded in her body, and the question that haunted her being for what seemed like a millennia had been answered. Her family had perished in a house fire. She had survived. Alone. The very fact that she had survived and her parents had been incinerated by the flames of destruction left her with an unstoppable and endless feeling. The feeling of guilt.

Alice, now terrified beyond all belief, dropped the Vorpal Sword. Tears welling in her eyes, her body shaking like there was no tomorrow, stared up at the Jabberwock, now with her guilt controlling her mind and body.

"We were all asleep…it was an accident…I couldn't save them…" she whimpered, trying to hold back her tears.

The Jabberwock suddenly towered over her, his very figure striking fear through Alice's heart.

"You selfish, misbegotten and unnatural child! You smelt the smoke but you were in dreamland taking tea with your friends. You could not be bothered. You room was protected and spared…while your family upstairs roasted in an inferno of incredible horror!!!"

Alice's eyes snapped open to their widest size, her guilt spilling right out of her in the form of tears and an ear-piercing scream, as her lost, forgotten memories burnt back into her mind.

…

_A clock stood on a mantelpiece in Alice's room, chiming twenty minutes past five in the afternoon. The moon shined brightly through the large windows of the bedroom. Everything was at peace, Alice sleeping in her bed with her toy rabbit in her arms. She was sleeping, having a dream of herself and her Wonderland friends having a tea party hosted by the Mad Hatter, when he was generally saner and not evil._

"_Wake up, Dormy, it's time for the tea party," called the March Hare._

"_But I'm tired…" sighed Dormy. _

"_Here's a riddle, Alice, why is a raven like a writing desk?" asked the Mad Hatter. _

"_I don't have the faintest clue," replied the younger Alice. "And have you not previously asked me that riddle."_

"_I have!?" cried the Mad Hatter in surprise. "I must be going mad!"_

"_It's a little too late for that, Hatter," said the Cheshire Cat, materialising and floating in thin air, not skinny and emaciated but furry and a little bit overweight._

_As Alice smiled in her sleep, the door of her room was pushed open as her pet cat Dinah entered into the room, hopping onto a nearby table where a lit candle was placed. The cat began licking itself, until it glanced up to the window and saw a shadow, that of a bird, fly by, casting eerie shadows on the floor. Dinah panicked, scampering off the table to flee, but knocked off the candle, which flipped through the air and landed outside the door in the hallway. Flames flying everywhere, a house fire quickly started. Smoke spread everywhere, streaming into Alice's room, and eventually reached her nose._

"_Fire! Fire!" shouted the Mad Hatter in alarm, as smoke suddenly surrounded the tea party, and Alice collapsed onto the ground._

"_Alice!" cried the Cheshire Cat, running to her. "Wake up, Alice! Wake up!"_

_Alice's eyes snapped open upon hearing the Cheshire Cat's cry, which was drowned out by the sound of her mother screaming. Alice gasped in horror upon spotting the smoke billowing in from the hallway. Leaping off her bed with her toy rabbit in hand, Alice ran from her room and threw the door open. Flames and fire were everywhere; pieces of the ceiling were collapsing. Another scream came from a door down the hall, the bedroom of Alice's parents._

"_Mother! Father!" screamed Alice._

"_Alice! Get out, dear!" shouted Alice's mother, coughing violently._

"_Save yourself!" cried Alice's father. The two were trapped in their bedroom._

_The two cried at her to run, as flames erupted from their doorway, blasting the door to pieces. Alice screamed in horror, but instinctively ran._

_Racing down the staircase of her burning house, Alice tripped and fell the rest of the way down. Just as well, as a rafter came crashing down and demolished the staircase. Getting to her feet with some difficulty, Alice raced straight for the front door, her eyes lost in confusion. Wrenching the front doors open, Alice ran out into freezing cold night. A large explosion of fire occurred, blasting Alice right off her feet onto the snow-covered front lawn outside. Alice looked up in horror and despair as her house burnt to the ground._

Alice snapped back into the present time, collapsing into a shuddering wreck, screaming in terror.

"NO!" she roared, as the Jabberwock watched her with pleasure. He raised a claw to strike her.

"You will perish!" he cried.

"Alice!" shouted another voice.

Alice kept her eyes closed, tears welling out them like miniature waterfalls, but she heard the sound of a scuffle, the sound of tearing flesh, and the Jabberwock roaring in agony.

"My eye!" he roared in pain. "Damn you, Gryphon!"

"Be gone from here, Jabberwock, before I claim your other!" responded the fearsome voice of Gryphon.

"This is not over, Gryphon!" shouted the Jabberwock. "I will kill you, and then I will kill her!"

And with that, the Jabberwock took off into the air, flying out of the wrecked house into the sky and out of sight. Gryphon approached the curled up Alice, and dropped the Jabberwock's remove eyeball in front of her.

"The Eyestaff can now be completed…" he spoke solemnly.

Alice remained silent, simply sobbing away. She felt a familiar paw being placed on her shoulder. It was the Cheshire Cat's.

"Alice?" he asked, Alice forcing herself to look up at the feline who looked at her with saddened eyes. "I am so sorry you had to go through all this. I am sorry."

"I killed them…" said Alice. "I could have saved them…I could have saved everybody…"

"No, no, no, Alice. It is not your fault," said the Cheshire Cat, shaking his head. "Your parents told you to run, and knowing that you had survived would have allowed them to die peacefully."

"In a burning fire!?" shouted Alice. "How is that peaceful, Cat! Tell me, how!"

"Alice…" said Gryphon, moving forward to her. "Please do not blame yourself."

"Well who else am I to blame? You? Caterpillar? The Queen?" snapped Alice.

"Well, the Queen is an option," said the Cheshire Cat, grinning briefly, but then shut up when Alice stared at him.

"I did it! I killed them! I could have saved them, and then none of this chaos, none of this would have happened!" sobbed Alice. She hammered the floor in rage. "I did it! I did it! I DID IT!"

And with that Alice threw herself upon the Cheshire Cat, wrapping her arms around him and bawling like a baby. The Cheshire Cat allowed her to stay here for a long time, eyes closed without a glimpse of a smile. Gryphon was just as patient, allowing Alice to let out her sorrow. After sometime, Alice eventually unhinged herself from the Cheshire Cat and wiped her eyes.

"Goodness me, if I keep crying then I'll make another pool of tears," said Alice. She sniffed heavily and picked up the Jabberwock's eyeball. It felt rather gooey and slimy. Bringing out the rest of the Eyestaff, she managed to insert the eyeball into the top of it, completing the weapon. "Finally."

"Alice?" asked the Cheshire Cat.

"You're right, Cheshire-puss," said Alice, noticing the Cheshire Cat not even scowling. "I shouldn't blame myself. It was my despair that corrupted the Queen and the Hatter, but it was by the Queen's hand that this land has suffered, and in order to put an end to my guilt, I have to kill, and the Jabberwock. But, I don't want to see anyone else get hurt."

"Do not fret, Alice, the Queen and her pet will fall!" said Gryphon.

"And no one else will be harmed," said the Cheshire Cat. "Now, let's go dethrone ourselves a queen."

"With pleasure," said Alice. She picked up the Vorpal Blade and inserted it and the Eyestaff back in her pockets. Remembering the photo of her family, Alice moved to it and picture up the broken frame, placing it back on the table. "Let's go."

Alice took off into the air on Gryphon's back, with the Cheshire Cat riding behind her. She looked down as the remnants of her burnt home faded from, sight but the sight of the Queen of Hearts' kingdom came into view. Alice stared at it coldly, determined to end this war and save Wonderland, and herself.

…

**Originally I considered having Alice attempt suicide as a form of survivor's guilt but decided against it when the teenager Phoebe Prince killed herself after being bullied.**


	10. Into Hell

**This chapter covers the final arc of the game, so expect a lot of violence, blood and deaths.**

**...  
**

**Chapter 10: Into Hell**

It was August 13th, 1874, and time seemed to have slowed down since the last time Alice woke up from her departing catatonic state, and with good reason. About a month or so back, Doctor Wilson and Lorina bared witness to Alice remembering her past and the tragic fire that took the lives of her parents. And the end result was quite traumatic for the poor girl. Watching Alice screaming and crying like a despairing child with her older sister trying to give her comfort was quite a brutal experience to watch for Doctor Wilson. And eventually, when push came to shove, he was forced to order Alice strapped down with leather straps and an injection of sleeping drugs to ease her pain and distress. And that was the way she was left and has been ever since the incident. Lorina, Alice's sister, had not left her side or room since aside from when she needed to do personal business, leaving Nurse D. in charge.

Doctor Wilson sat in his office, trying to take his mind off the girl he had become quite familiar with. Being Alice's doctor, he was meant to keep their relationship as just that – patient and doctor. But over the past ten years, he had instead formed a more parental bond with her and her sister, like the children he had never had, since his wife left him. At this moment, Doctor Wilson was examining new patients, none of whom were as interesting as Alice. Probably most interesting subject out of these new patients was a 28-year man who thought a church's gargoyles were out to get him. Sighing heavily, he gathered up the files of the patients and opened the bottom draw of his desk. To his surprise, he found a large folder in it; Alice's file.

Placing down the folders he had, Doctor Wilson picked up Alice's bulky file, which he had not touched for some time. Opening it, his patient journal slid out onto the desk with a loud bang. Behind that were some drawings Alice had done, including the smiling cat in the tree, the rabbit with the doctor's pocketwatch, and the odd forest. Picking up the patient journal, Doctor Wilson flicked through the pages, until he came across the last entry, written three months ago. Suddenly feeling inspired, Doctor Wilson grabbed a pen and started writing a new entry into the journal.

"_August 13__th__, 1874. It has been some time since I added an entry into my journal. But I suppose there has been little to report. Alice has recovered her subjugated memories and took the remembrance badly and I had to regrettably order her to be restrained and drugged for a time. Unfortunately, I fear this may have been a mistake as she hasn't awakened from her forced slumber since the incident. Potentially, she may never wake up. I have always feared that she would give in to her catatonic state and insanity, but her older sister expresses an endless amount of hope that one has to admire. And, yet I digress. I have tired everything – treatments, remedies, disciplines and pleasure, but nothing makes a difference. Alice is a very wilful individual and over the last decade she has made it clear that she does what she wants, when she wants. And while I could act like a stuffy observer, I have become immersed in my patient's fantastic tales of Wonderland and do await the day she claims victory over the Red Queen and when Wonderland will be restored. Hopefully, when her inner mind finds peace, then she will awaken and will leave the asylum on her own volition. While this may sound like the words of a man who should be institutionalised himself, I am writing not with the inspiration of madness, but with the thought of hope for this young woman, hope, being something which is difficult to find in these dusty halls."_

Finishing his journal entry, Doctor Wilson breathed heavily and rose from his desk, moving to the window to look at the garden below. His attention was drawn to a stray cat emerging from the undergrowth and silently making its way into the asylum through an open window. Doctor Wilson recognised the cat; it was the one who pounced on Alice ten years ago when she was younger, albeit more scruffier than before.

Getting curious, Doctor Wilson quickly put away his journal and the drawings and went on a wander to track down the cat. The halls of the asylum were quite empty. Most employees with their sanity still in tact had left for the nearest beaches to enjoy the summer, so the occasional nurse or orderly walked by. Doctor Wilson re-routed his path through the asylum when he spotted two policemen hauling a screaming man further up a corridor. Running up to the first floor and back down to the ground floor via different staircases, Doctor Wilson ran into the cat, which froze on the spot for a brief moment. It stared at the doctor for a moment but walking off down a hallway. Doctor Wilson followed, but at a distance, and was not even surprised when the cat came to a stop outside the door to Alice's room. The cat began leaping up and down trying to open the door.

Doctor Wilson obliged, opening the door. The cat immediately dashed in. Doctor Wilson fully opened the door and saw the cat clamber up on the bed and sit on Alice's body, just like ten years ago. He continued to watch as the cat examined the sleeping girl's face and began to lick her face. Doctor Wilson closed the door behind him, moving across the room and sitting down in his chair at Alice's bedside. The cat stopped cleaning Alice's face for a moment, eyeing Doctor Wilson like he was about to lunge on it and remove it from the room via the window. However, Doctor Wilson just sat there in silence, observing the feline and the sleeping girl.

Nurse D. passed by the door, stopping in her tracks to glance through the observation window, seeing the form of her friend sitting like a watchful father, patient and silent, sitting at his patient's bedside. While she found the cat's presence odd, she accepted it, not really wanting to interrupt Doctor Wilson's form of peace. With a smile she walked away. Even in these dingy halls of madness, she liked to believe there was some form of hope.

…

She stood there in silence, dressed in her blue and white dress, stained with the red colours of blood. Her trusty knife was held in her hand, its metal frame also stained with blood. Her emerald-coloured eyes stared upwards, a harsh wind blowing her hair into her face, which did not bother her in the slightest. Alice has finally reached her final destination, standing before the giant and hellish gates of Queensland, and beyond that, the castle of the Queen of Hearts. Alice was quickly joined by her greatest ally, the Cheshire Cat, who materialised as expected out of thin air with his trademark grin. He cocked his head sideways to glance at the girl.

"Well, here we are," he said.

"I guess so," said Alice. "It's strange. Ten years ago, before everything went to hell; I never would've guessed that I would be leading an army to kill royalty."

"I'd never believe that I would lose so much weight," replied the Cheshire Cat, sparking a fit of laughter from Alice. Normal laughter. Thankfully not affected by madness or guilt.

Their brief conversation ended in a long period of silence, the two friends lost in their own thoughts. Alice sighed, flipping the Vorpal Blade in her hand, and then turned away from the gate and walked down a rocky slope. The Cheshire Cat followed. The two walked down a path and into a large clearly, where the army of freedom fighters awaited. A majority of the army consisted of the forces of the White King, giant chess pieces armed with their finest weapons, ready for war. The White King was absent but in his place was the White Queen, dressed in a full set of body armour, her large silver blade in her hand. There were a small group of others fighter like Mr. Mouse, Bill McGill, and the Gryphon standing at the front of the army alongside the queen. Caterpillar stood perched on a cliff overlooking the army, smoking on his hookah. He turned seeing Alice and the Cheshire Cat approach. The army fell into silence as their leader approached.

Alice stopped in front of the army. She felt somewhat awkward with about ten-thousand people staring at her, expecting some sort of rabble-rousing speech.

"Alright, let's take down that crazy freak!" shouted Alice. There was a moment of silence, but the entire army broke into a victorious battle cry. The Cheshire Cat glanced at Alice.

"Well, that was easy," he said with a grin.

Within moments, the army were at the gates to Queensland. Alice stood before it like before, and glanced back to the army, eyeing the White Queen and nodded politely.

"Bring in the catapults!" cried the White Queen, Alice curtsying in thanks.

A trio of large catapults were slowly heaved up the hill towards the gates, and giant hurling pieces of flaming rock were hurled at the gates. After several volleys of hard debry and flames struck the gates, the giant metal structure buckled and collapsed. The army cheered, almost desperate for more. Alice waited for the dust to settle, seeing a blood red passage before her. Gripping the Vorpal Blade hard in her hand and breathing heavily, she charged forwards. She was ready. A rallying cry came behind her as the army advanced after her, charging straight into the hellish Queensland.

Alice's eyes widened as they ran along a path towards a large clearing. The sky was dark red, covered in clouds that were as black as the night. Giant horn-like appendages and tentacles were everywhere. As Alice ran forwards, she saw the Queen of Hearts' forces racing towards her. A combination of card guards, red chess pieces and a large number of monstrous creatures, the opposing force roared with rage, insanity and bloodlust, ready to fight to the death to serve their beloved monarch.

Alice continued charging, but in moments Gryphon flew down from the sky, allowing Alice to hop onto his back. Alice turned waving for Mr. Mouse and Bill to follow suit. They complied and pretty soon, the girl, mouse and chameleon were airborne. Alice observed as the two armies of white and red smashed into eachother and within moments descended into a gory massacre, limbs flying and bodies quickly beginning to pile-up.

Gryphon flew onwards, over the battle and towards a giant monstrous-looking hedge maze. Alice eyed it cautiously, not wanting to get lost in there, let alone actually go into it.

"Nasty lookin' garden," commented Bill, before turning to Alice. "Okay, so remind me again why I needed to come along on your suicide mission?"

"You've been drinking brandy, haven't you!" snapped Alice.

"No, I just have a bad memory," replied Bill. Alice rolled her eyes.

"We'll need to get into the castle quickly and quietly, without bringing that army after us," explained Alice.

"The Queen will likely already know you are coming," said Gryphon.

Alice fell silent and nodded silently. Her time with the Queen was close at hand and she knew that she would have to fight her to the death, even if it meant dying in the process. If it meant the salvation of Wonderland and her friends' suffering then so be it. Alice's thoughts were suddenly thrown aside, quite literally, as something slammed hard into the side of Gryphon. As the world spun around, Alice grabbed one of Gryphon's legs with one arm, holding the Vorpal Blade in the other. Bill and Mr. Mouse managed to grab on to Gryphon's other legs for safety. Gryphon let out a yell and managed to straighten himself in midair. Alice hung from his arm and spotted the form of the Jabberwock flying through the air, circling to strike again.

"Gryphon, land!" shouted Alice as they passed fully over the labyrinth below, and were a bridge away from the Queen's giant fortress of a castle.

Gryphon made a beeline for the bridge, descending down towards the ground. However, the Jabberwock flew out of nowhere, smashing into Gryphon from behind. Alice, Bill and Mr. Mouse somersaulted through the air and landed on the hard ground, rolling across it. Alice shouted in pain as she skidded to a halt, her knees badly grazed. Mr. Mouse hauled himself to his feet and went to help Alice up. Bill stood up casually and flexed his neck and arms. Gryphon, now bruised and battered, got to his feet and glared up at the Jabberwock. Spreading his magnificent golden wings, Gryphon took flight, heading straight for the Jabberwock with the intention of knocking him out of the sky.

"Gryphon!" shouted Alice in alarm. The others looked up, helpless as the two winged fighters met eachother in the sky, the Cheshire Cat joining them, his grin absent.

In the sky, Gryphon and the Jabberwock fought vigorously, Gryphon attempting to gauge out the dragon's remaining eye. The Jabberwock cackled menacingly, swinging his large clawed hand, striking Gryphon in the side of his body, drawing a spray of blood. Ignoring the pain, Gryphon pulled back and then swooped in again, ramming straight into the Jabberwock's chest. The Jabberwock grunted painfully, punching Gryphon in the face. The two wrestled in midair, scratching and clawing at eachother with their talons. Growing impatient, the Jabberwock punched Gryphon in the jaw, exposing his throat which he sunk his own beak-like mouth into. Gryphon screamed in pain, only to be silenced by a jet of fire shot from the Jabberwock's mouth.

Alice let out a horrified scream as the form of Gryphon fell from the skies like a fallen angel, tumbling downwards. Alice watched wide-eyed as her friend crashed to the ground, landing on a sloped clump of rock nearby. She stood rooted to the ground for a moment images of the Duchess' corpse, the White Rabbit flattened and the Mad Hatter dying flashing in her mind. Her feet kicked in and she raced over to Gryphon, the Cheshire Cat, Bill and Mr. Mouse not far behind. The Jabberwock soared overhead, and smashed his way through the rope bridge, demolishing it and sending it tumbling to pieces into a crevice below. He landed and smirked as Alice and the others crowded around Gryphon.

"How pitiful! Did you really think you could overcome your guilt?" said the Jabberwock and burst into a fit of laughter.

Alice ignored him as best as she could and examined Gryphon's wounds. He was severely burnt with one of his wings fried, and his throat and chest were heavily wounded and blood was gushing out. Alice could already feel tears running down her fair, as Gryphon panted heavily, gasping for breath.

"Alice…" said Gryphon, nearly choking on his words.

"Yes, Gryphon," replied Alice sadly.

"Destroy the Queen's guardian. With the Jabberwock out of the way, the Queen will be easier to kill," said the Gryphon.

"Couldn't we just force the Queen to surrender?" asked Alice, even well knowing this question was futile.

"She will never surrender. Too many good people have died and suffered in attempts to stop the Queen's wrath. You are the only person who can bring her down and save Wonderland," continued Gryphon. "Don't weep for me, please. I received enough tears from Mock Turtle as it is."

Gryphon chuckled lightly but suddenly began to cough violently; until his was forced to spit out his own blood onto the ground. Groaning loudly, the mighty bird-lion heaved his head upwards to look at Alice properly.

"Alice, be strong…" he croaked out, and within moments, Gryphon was dead, his head falling back as his body became still, eyes open and black.

Alice bowed her head upon the realisation another friend had died, unable to stop her tears. The Cheshire Cat and Mr. Mouse bowed their heads respectfully, whilst Bill removed his hat and looked away towards the rising smoke in the distance from the battle between the two clashing armies. It was at this point that Alice heard the Jabberwock's tormenting laughter. That was enough for her.

Eyes snapping open, Alice glanced briefly at Gryphon's corpse and suddenly whirled around on her foot, flinging the Vorpal Blade from her hand across the space between her and the Jabberwock. A roar of pain came from the dragon as the Vorpal Blade imbedded itself in his right shoulder. Reeling backwards in pain, the Jabberwock sneered at Alice, ripping the knife from his shoulder and tossing to the ground. Alice dashed forward, catching her friends by surprise as she pulled out the blunderbuss strapped to her back. She found it heavier than expected but raised it to eye-level, aiming at the Jabberwock's throat. She fired a round of firepower at the dragon, only for the Jabberwock to move quickly, catching the attack in his tail, although he gained more wounds as a result.

Alice charged forwards, aiming and firing the blunderbuss again and shooting the Jabberwock through his left palm. The Jabberwock took the pain and took to the air, steam blasting out of the funnels on his artificial wings. Alice took to running as the Jabberwock bombdived at her, roaring as he went.

Alice dropped the blunderbuss and instinctively rolled across the ground as the Jabberwock flew overhead, nearly striking Alice down with his claws. Recovering from the attack, Alice spotted the Vorpal Blade nearby and ran to pick up her trademark weapon.

"Alice, look out!" shouted the Cheshire Cat.

Alice turned her head just in time to see the Jabberwock's claw grab, and within seconds she was airborne, screaming all the way. As the world spun around her like falling down the rabbit hole, she heard the Jabberwock yell again as the blurred form of the Cheshire Cat leapt from the dragon's back to one of his wings and began to claw at it, trying to break it apart.

"Get off me you mangy cat!" shouted the Jabberwock, moving his wing at such a speed that the Cheshire Cat lost his balance and fell towards the ground, only to evaporate into thin air and then reappear safely on the ground.

Glaring up at the Jabberwock as he turned his attention back to her, Alice proceeded to stab the Jabberwock in the arm, hand and parts of the chest she could reach. The Jabberwock yelped loudly, releasing Alice, who dropped like a stone. Alice fell, knowing she would not survive the fall, but she knew she could at least take the dragon down with her. Alice reached into her apron pocket and pulled out the Jabberwock's Eyestaff, which she had spent so long trying to construct. She saw the Jabberwock raising after her.

"You will never escape your guilt!" he roared as he plunged down at her, and unleashed a blast of flames from his mouth,

"Oh, shut up!" screamed Alice, the wind sweeping through her air. Aiming the Eyestaff, she let out a war cry as the eye on the end of the staff glowed a brilliant green and with a flash of light, an energy beam shot out of the eye, and immediately cut through the flames and blasted a hole right through the Jabberwock's kiln-like torso and out the other side.

The Jabberwock wheezed in pain and suddenly coughed up blood as his body erupted into a ball of fire. The Cheshire Cat suddenly popped out of a puff of smoke, grabbed Alice by the collar and in another puff of smoke the two re-appeared on the other side of the gorge. Alice had enough time to get her bearings as she saw the giant form of the Jabberwock come crashing out of the sky. She watched with wide and amazed eyes as the lower half of the Jabberwock practically exploded, a fountain of blood flying everywhere. The upper half disappeared down the gorge into the lava below, his wings splintering as they hit the sides of the two cliffs making up the gorge. The Queen of Hearts' guardian had fallen.

Alice felt like collapsing onto the ground and just lying there, but she was surprised when the Cheshire Cat stumbled over.

"Are you alright?" asked Alice, crouching down beside her feline friend and placing a concerned hand on the back of his head.

"Yes, just tired. It takes a lot of work to evaporate more than one person," said the Cheshire Cat. "But, you need not be concerned about me. The final challenge is still to come, Alice."

Alice nodded in agreement, standing up to face the hellish-looking castle before her. At last, she would meet the Queen of Hearts in combat.

"Alice, what should we do?" called Mr. Mouse from across the gorge.

"Make sure that Gryphon's body is untouched," she replied, placing the Eyestaff back in her pocket. With a final nod to her allies across the gorge, Alice turned and began to stride towards the castle.

…

Pushing open the giant doors of the castle, Alice found herself in a large foyer. It was like being in the inside of someone's body, and there was a stench in the air so foul that Alice was forced to cover her nose. The Cheshire Cat followed and began coughing heavily. The walls, ceilings and wrecked furnishings were all dyed a blood red, and many of the ominous tentacles protruded out of the walls and slid across the floor like snakes. There appeared to be not card guards around, presumably all fighting off in the battle outside. The large doors behind Alice slammed shut, echoing out into a disturbingly quiet castle.

"Where is that wretched creature?" asked the Cheshire Cat, looking around in disgust.

"Let's go find her," said Alice. "My mother always said you should never keep royalty waiting."

The two began to make their away across the hall, looking around for any sign of a potential ambush. Alice hopped over a tentacle, the Cheshire Cat following but he glanced up at Alice with a grin.

"You're making progress," he said. "Talking about your mother just now."

"Well, my parents are my greatest memory," replied Alice, genuinely smiling as memories of her family flooded back into her mind. "Along with my sister. The time I was given with my family was the best experience of my life."

"Good, but be sure to keep those memories with you when you face the Queen," said the Cheshire Cat. "And don't let her destroy your most precious memories."

"I'll leave her regretting everything she had done, and then I'll kill her," said Alice, the two climbing up the stairs. Two different stairways branched off in opposite directions. Picking a random direction, Alice chose to go right.

Heading up the stairs and down a hallway, Alice and the Cheshire Cat soon came to a bridge crossing to a large twisting tower, likely the castle's keep. Below, Alice could see the battle in the distance. Stopping for a moment, she looked down the opposite side of the bridge and saw a large execution ground, horrified by the ocean of headless bodies that were left lying across the square, a bloodstained axe imbedded in the chopping block.

The walk to the end continued through another large hall, and then up a spiral staircase. As she walked up the staircase, Alice was deep in thought, regarding the journey she had been through. She was very grateful to everyone who had helped her – The White Rabbit, Caterpillar, Gryphon, Mock Turtle, the Gnome Elder, Mr. Mouse, Bill, Humpty Dumpty, the March Hare and Dormy, the White Chess Pieces, and the Cheshire Cat. They had never given up on her, even when she despaired. But they did not despair, they had done enough despairing during the time Alice was lost in darkness.

Those who had threatened her also helped her in their own way, standing as obstacles for Alice to clear in order for her to overcome her fear and guilt. Some had lost their way and become corrupted by their own obsessions like the Tweedles and the Mad Hatter, possible to save yet to late to help. The Duchess' Cook and the Voracious Centipede were corrupted by their own desires, willing to kill anyone who stood in their way. Those loyal to the Queen, like the Red King, Commander Heartbleed and the card guards likely had little values and little to live for, and were too late to be saved. And there were those who just wanted Alice dead, like the Jabberwock. Everyone who had fallen had helped and played their part in Alice's journey, whether good or bad. And now there was only one part of the jigsaw left to fill in order for Alice and Wonderland to be free. And all that stood between her and her enemy now was a pair of doors leading to the throne room.

Alice stared up and down at the doors, feeling intimidated and feeling very scared, if not terrified. The Cheshire Cat turned to stand in front of her, the two friends glancing at eachother for the longest time.

"This is it," he spoke.

"Yep, it is," said Alice.

"Are you frightened?" asked the Cheshire Cat.

"I'm terrified, but I'm not going to run," said Alice, examining the Vorpal Blade in her hand. "What about you?"

The Cheshire nodded lightly, looking away almost in shame. He turned away, walking in a circle before pausing and going into a sitting position.

"Bravery and I have not always been on interment terms, and my curiosity is intermixed with caution," he said solemnly. "But, right here, right now, even with all of my instincts screaming at me to flee, I've decided to stand here and speak the truth to you without any regards for the consequences!"

Alice just stared down at the cat before her, her greatest companion and friend in Wonderland. However, neither Alice not the Cheshire Cat noticed one of the doors of the throne room slowly opening.

"You are the most courageous person I've ever met, Alice. You've suffered great pain and caused some, you've endured deep grief and feelings of guilt. But you will be tested by a more wrenching anguish, Alice…" continued the Cheshire Cat, suddenly spotting the door had opened. Alice let out a gasp, and readied the Vorpal Blade for battle, only for the Cheshire Cat to pull on her dress.

Alice stared down at the Cheshire Cat, and saw that he was actually crying, tears streaming down his face like there was no tomorrow.

"There is worse to come when you step into that throne room and face that devil," said the Cheshire Cat. "You and this red queen cannot both survive! You are two parts of the same—"

There was suddenly a loud bang as the door swung fully opening and something shot out at lightning speed. Alice blinked and jumped back in alarm, as a coat of blood splattered across her face and chest. Eyes widened in horror, Alice forced herself to slowly look down and soon found herself staring at the Cheshire Cat's emaciated corpse lying in a poor of expanding blood, his own blood. His head and signature grin were missing, decapitated by an unseen force. Alice knew she had to be strong but she quickly found herself on her knees and crying heavily. Her greatest ally and friend had gone. It was then that a voice addressed her, the one she had been dreading yet also wanting to face.

"Don't dawdle child, hurry up in here!"

Alice looked up towards the darkness beyond the open door. Glancing down at the Cheshire Cat's corpse and wiping away her tears, Alice rose. She was furious, beyond reasoning. She just wanted to rip that creature in the next room to pieces. Eyes blazing like the fire that took her parents, Alice strode straight into the throne room and froze instantly.

Flaming torches, some of which were lit on decapitated heads lined the large throne room, lighting the disturbing features of the room. Large horn-like appendages were built in the wall, and decapitated heads were placed on tridents for decorations. Dead creatures like card guards, frogs and fish alike lay in corners of the room, heads and pieces of the bodies missing. Alice felt something slither over her right foot and she looked down, seeing a red tentacle pass by from the open door and vanish into the darkness at the end of the throne room.

"So, you have come at last," spoke the Queen of Hearts from within the darkness. "Alice."

"You. Your Majesty. Are you ready to die?" asked Alice angrily, raising the Vorpal Blade to challenge the Queen. She was further angered when the Queen let out an arrogant cackle.

"Foolish child. Acting so strong by wielding that knife, but deep down, you know you cannot defeat me," said the Queen.

"I've slain your pet, and I will slay you," snapped Alice, taking a step further. "At the least the Jabberwock had the guts to face me, unlike you, who have been scrounging around here in your own private hell."

"Hell? This is paradise. A world of misery and carnage, just what anyone with the weight of madness you have would love to exist in," said the Queen. "But maybe you are right, maybe it is time I face you."

A pair of dark curtains suddenly swung open, revealing three arched stain glass windows, bringing a murky light into the room. Alice's eyes widened as the darkness melted away, revealing the horrifying form of the Queen of Hearts, sitting in a large heart-shaped throne with a pair of curled horns built on the sides of it. The Queen was monstrous to look at, completely crimson red in colour. She wore Tudor-styled clothes, ripped and shredded. Her legs or dress were a flock of red tentacles, as were her arms, squeezing through the sleeves of her shirt. A collar was placed around her neck, tiny tentacles wriggling out of it. Her face was almost featureless save for two red eyes and a mouth. Four large horns stretched out of her head, two pointing upwards and the other two curled like those of a goat. Her crown was like a heart-shaped tiara, rusting and uncared for.

Alice lost her composure and wretched onto the floor in disgust, the Queen watching her in interest. Coughing and spluttering, Alice got back up and further approached the Queen, looking disgusted and queasy.

"I remember you having a bigger head," said Alice sarcastically.

"I remember you being smaller," responded the Queen. "I'll have to crush you so you return to your more appropriate size."

"All the lives you've harmed and ruined will finally be avenged," said Alice. "Now, you die."

"Off with your head!" said the Queen and suddenly she sprang off her throne and levitated in midair.

"That's new," said Alice in alarm and suddenly raced behind a nearby pillar as the Queen hurled a shower of axes out of thin air. Most clattered to the floor and smashed against the pillars.

Alice timed her preparation, bringing out the three card guard-turned-shuriken. She was grateful to the three card guards who had joined her sign. Clearly not every guard was obsessed with loyalty to the Queen. Alice leapt out from behind the pillar and tossed the shuriken at an angle. She watched as they soared through the air, slicing off several of the Queen's flock of tentacles. The Queen shrieked like a banshee and nearly fell from her position in the air. Alice charged at her, hoping to leap up and stab her straight through the head or heart. However, Alice was suddenly flung off her feet by an unseen force and slammed hard into the right-side wall of the room. She tumbled to the floor, in great pain. Opening her eyes, she saw large bruises on her right arm and part of the skin had been heavily grazed. Hauling herself to her feet, Alice glared at the Queen for a second only to suddenly go flying off her feet again, across the room and slammed into the other wall, back first.

Alice gasped in agony, unable to scream or shout, but instead spat out flem. Collapsing to the floor a second time, still holding the Vorpal Blade, Alice glared up at the Queen once more. The Queen smiled deviously and cocked her head slightly.

"How are you doing that?" asked Alice, getting up, but wobbling about unsteadily.

"Sheer will of the mind, Alice," said the Queen. "It was only after you went catatonic that I realised just how insane this place is and only those with the right frame of mind could survive in it. So I raged war upon the insane below, the imperfect that ruined my kingdom. Only misery and death to deserve in a place as crazy as Wonderland!"

"You and the Jabberwock are the only thing that deserved to die in this world," shouted Alice.

"And what of all those who harmed you, including the Hatter," said the Queen.

"They were corrupted by you!" said Alice.

"Wrong, Alice, you corrupted them," said the Queen. "The Hatter told you this, did he not? It seems some self-denial still lingers in your heart."

"I may have broken this world, but you are equally to blame!" shouted Alice. Fed up of the Queen's attempted mind tricks, Alice placed the Vorpal Blade in her pocket and pulled out the blunderbuss and fired every round of the firearm at the Queen, successfully shooting her through the chest, arms and flock of tentacles.

The Queen screamed again, falling to the ground. Alice immediately sprang on the Queen, tossing the blunderbuss to the floor and pulled out the Vorpal Blade again. Alice lost all control of herself, screaming like a lunatic and stabbed the Queen countless times in the body.

"Die! Die! Die! Die! DIE! DIE! DIE!" roared Alice with rage. The Queen used her telepathic power to hurl Alice off her and across the room, the Vorpal Blade spinning out of Alice's hand. She watched wearily as her nemesis slowly rose up, breathing heavily. The Queen roared in agony and grabbed a large double-bladed battle axe from above her throne. She flew through the air at Alice, eyes enraged.

"I will kill you, Alice!" she shrieked, but Alice recognised this move. The final strike attack that the Jabberwock and others had done beforehand.

Her time had come.

Alice pulled out the Eyestaff and fired an energy beam at the Queen. The Queen did not even have time to react as the blast blew apart a chunk of her body, obliterating her lower body and tentacle flock, her right arm which carried the axe exploding. The Queen crashed to the floor, her face smashing down hard. She tumbled across the floor until she stop a few feet from Alice motionless. Alice sat where she lay, panting heavily. Was it over? Alice heaved herself to her hands and knees and cautiously crawled over to the Queen's fallen body. She jumped as the Queen gasped and lunged at Alice, but her strength left her and she collapsed in the girl's arms. Alice caught her by her own surprise, holding her enemy in her arms. She felt the slimy and inhuman feel of the Queen's body. The Queen slowly heaved herself up and came face to face with Alice. However, the Queen's hardened red eyes had changed a unique yellow, like those of a cat.

"Alice…forgive me, my child…it's not me! IT'S NOT ME!" shouted the Queen.

Alice was speechless, mouth open. Suddenly, the wall where the throne sat exploded outwards, the chair disintegrating as something resembling a skinless tentacle burst out of the wall, grabbed the Queen and pulled her backwards. The Queen screamed as she was pulled backwards. Alice watched as a second tentacle sprung out of the wall, crushed the Queen's skull and ripped her body apart, tossing her exposed spine carelessly aside. Alice leapt up, grabbing the Vorpal Blade.

"What in the hell?" she asked.

The entire wall collapsed, Alice looking on in horror as something's head emerged. It was an abomination, a skinless skull of a head with bloodshot white eyes and a mouth exposing hundreds of crooked fangs and teeth. The abomination stared at Alice, and suddenly opened its mouth. Alice's jaw dropped in shock at what she saw next, her heart skipping a beat, and she dropped the Vorpal Blade. The green-skinned face of the Mad Hatter stared at Alice from within the monster's mouth.

"Wha-?" spoke Alice, eyes glancing back and forth at the monster and the Mad Hatter's head.

The Mad Hatter's head went into a twisted grin and then prepared to open his mouth. What was within drove Alice over the edge. Losing the support of her legs, she found herself on her knees, staring straight ahead at a pair of all too familiar emerald green eyes which stared back at her with a deep rage and madness about them. Inside the Hatter's mouth was a third head, the head of a teenage girl with brownish-red hair and the most brilliant emerald green eyes. Alice.

Alice shook her head in denial, as her own face glared at her and smiled cruelly. It was obvious that the monster was larger than it appeared, pieces of the wall falling apart as more tentacles emerged. Alice realised the truth now – she had been responsible for Wonderland's destruction, not the Queen. She was just a puppet for this thing – the embodiment for her own insanity, anger and guilt. Alice began to cry uncontrollably at this revelation, as the Pseudo-Alice spoke to her in a combination of her own voice, the Queen's, and the Mad Hatter's.

"I rule Wonderland alone. Your existence will not be tolerated," said the Pseudo-Alice, her voicing becoming more demonic as the combined voices were lost to a completely deep and inhuman. "This realm is for grownups; Raw, well-ordered, ruthless, careening on the jagged edge of reality! Self-pitying dreamers are not wanted here. They cannot survive here. You fear the truth and thus you live in shadow. Your pathetic attempts to reclaim your sanity have failed. Retreat to your sterile self-delusions, or face inevitable annihilation."

It was at this point that Alice seemed to spasm like the Pseudo-Alice had just hit just hit a bad nerve. Alice looked up and glared at her own self.

"If you destroy me, you destroy yourself as well! Leave now and some hollow part of you may survive!" roared the Pseudo-Alice. "Stay and I will break you down! YOU-WILL-LOSE-YOURSELF-FOREVER!"

Roaring to the heavens, the Pseudo-Alice burst out of the castle, causing the ceiling and walls to cave in. Alice came back to her senses quick enough to dive for cover as stones fell all around her. She watched as the giant form of the Pseudo-Alice rise into the blood red sky. All across Wonderland, the giant tentacles ripped apart the land to gain free movement. On the battlefield near the castle, enemies all halted their vicious fights to stare at the giant form of the abomination rose upwards. The castle crumbled around her as she reached her full height and roared again.

Alice watched from below. Her journey had come full circle, and now she would finish it. Picking up her discarded weapons, Alice raised towards the abomination. The Pseudo-Alice saw her coming, and grabbed her with one of its tentacles, tossing her through the air onto a high platform, formerly part of the castle's keep. Recovering quickly, but still feeling her wounds from the fight with the Queen, Alice stood and stared up at the form of the Pseudo-Alice. It was very much a large inhuman blob of giant-sized boils, hundreds of tentacles, and a crownpiece resembling a large rounded arch with spikes lining the edge. Alice noticed attached to the end of one of the primary tentacles was a deformed version of the Jabberwock's head. The two Alice stared eachother down.

"I've experienced fear," spoke Alice calmly, raising the Vorpal Blade, ready to fight for her life. "Now it's your turn."

The Pseudo-Alice roared and fired a horde of tentacles, big and small at Alice. Alice readied herself, smiling confidently and suddenly threw herself to the side as the tentacles raced for her. Almost in a ballerina-like move, Alice spun on one foot and sliced her way through several tentacles. As she spun, she whipped out the Ice Wand and froze two tentacles solid. Balancing on her other foot, she spun again, and smashed the frozen tentacles to pieces. She turned her head, only to be slashed across her right cheek by a small tentacle, cutting her skin and causing her to bleed. Alice saw another volley of tentacles flying towards her and had little time to react as several tried to wrap around her body. Alice sliced apart as many tentacles as she could before her arms were paralyzed, tentacles wrapped around her wrists. Alice quickly countered by biting into the tentacles with her teeth, causing the Pseudo-Alice to rife in pain and loosen her grip.

Alice ducked the tentacles and froze and shattered them. Alice turned to her left as a giant tentacle swept towards her like a charging bull. Alice tossed the Ice Wand to the ground, bringing out the Eyestaff and firing an energy beam. The beam ripped through the large tentacle, splitting it in two. Alice spun around and aimed the Eyestaff rip at the Pseudo-Alice's head. Another energy beam was fired, but a tentacle swept in and took the brunt of the attack, exploding in the process. Alice eye another tentacle swooping in, only to be flung off her feet and sent flying by the tentacle. Spinning through the air, Alice realised she was heading straight for her enemy's body. Having dropped the Eyestaff, Alice withdrew the Jack-o-Bomb and tossed it at the Pseudo-Alice. A small explosion occurred, barely damaging Pseudo-Alice's body.

Now down to three weapons, Alice straightened her body, managing to rebound off another tentacle and landed on another piece of the castle. Alice was already panting heavily, exhausted from all this fighting and leaping around. The Pseudo-Alice steered her massive bulk around, and suddenly the area where her stomach would probably be split open, revealing a giant gaping maw. Pseudo-Alice smile as a blast of purple-coloured energy beams fired from the maw. Alice gasped and dashed to her right, only to be caught in the bombardment of the assault. The Jabberwock's head flew forward and joined the assault with a blast of flames upon the area where Alice stood. The Pseudo-Alice burst out laughing as she ended her attack, a cloud of smoke covering the area. She stopped cackling and waited silently to see if her enemy had survived.

Alice lay on the ground motionless, half her body severely burnt. All her weapons save the Vorpal Blade had been charred. Alice managed to open her eyes with difficulty and after some time, she managed to haul herself to her feet, barely able to stand. The Vorpal Blade was still held tightly in her hand like it was glued to it. Alice felt blood in her mouth and spat out a batch of it onto the ground. Alice looked back up at the Pseudo-Alice and smiled.

"Die!" roared the Pseudo-Alice, lashing out with a tentacle. The tentacle grabbed Alice and threw her right into the maw of Pseudo-Alice. Alice let out a brief scream before the maw closed behind her. A deathly silence followed as Pseudo-Alice breathed heavily as her apparent victory came clear. "It is over."

Pseudo-Alice soon regretted saying those words, as a sudden sheer blast of pain tore through the right side of her body. She roared in pain as huge chunk of her body, tentacles and all fell away into the dark abyss below. Nearly falling over, Pseudo-Alice looked around for whatever wounded her and saw a glimmer of metal flying past her head, and within a second, the Jabberwock's head was slashed apart. Pseudo-Alice managed to recover from this pain quickly and spotted what looked like a giant black-winged bird flying into the sky. She watched as it swooped down and landed opposite her. She couldn't believe her eyes.

There stood Alice alive and well, but she had undergone a transformation. Sprouting from her wings were a pair of large, black-feathered raven wings. In her hand was the Vorpal Blade, no longer a bloodstained knife but a sleek, silver longsword with an ivy-like pattern wrapped around the handle. Alice smiled triumphantly as she stared at the Pseudo-Alice's gobsmacked expression.

"How? What is this madness!" shouted the Pseudo-Alice.

"It wasn't all that hard to figure out. You should like me but since you took on all of my negative emotions like guilt, anger and fear, and my possible insanity as so many times you've said, you've manifested like this – a monstrosity," explained Alice. "But thanks to my friends and my memories, I've learnt not to give in to despair but to embrace my happy memories and emotions. And that's why I've appeared like this."

"Then why didn't you take this form before?" asked the Pseudo-Alice.

"Because I was still afraid and despairing," said Alice. "But not any more. I've had it with pain and misery and having to be told to be consumed by my guilt! It's time you faced your own guilt!"

"We share the same guilt, Alice!" retorted the Pseudo-Alice. "Remember, if you destroy me then you destroy yourself."

"So be it," said Alice, catching the Pseudo-Alice off guard. "If it means saving Wonderland and my friends from a monster like you, then I am more than willing to give up my life if it means I can destroy you!"

Alice flapped her wings and flew into the air, swinging the now-magnificent Vorpal Blade, the sword being engulfed in white flames. The Pseudo-Alice roared in defiance, firing every tentacle and energy beam she had. Alice dashes forwards through the air, slashing at the tentacles and beams, destroying them as she made a beeline for the Pseudo-Alice's head.

"NO YOU CAN'T! ALICE!" shouted the Pseudo-Alice, opening all three of her mouths into a horrified final scream.

"OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!" cried Alice, colliding head-on with the Alice head of the beast, slicing it in two, demolishing the Mad Hatter's head in the process. The whole of the Pseudo-Alice's mouth erupted in a waterfall of blood, flesh and its bottom jaw shattering in two. A flash of white fire shot down the Pseudo-Alice's midriff and then shot back up through her head.

The Pseudo-Alice made a small squeaking noise as her whole body burst into flames and crumbled away. The battle was over. The Pseudo-Alice's head split in two and fell apart, revealing the exhausted looking form of Alice. She hovered in midair and watched as her own other self perished into the dark abyss below, and then slowly felt herself falling. She saw the Vorpal Blade fall from her hand and dark feathers began to surround her like a quilt. She smiled happily to herself, pleased that her job and her nightmare were finally over.

"Cheshire-puss, Rabbit, Gryphon, Hatter, Caterpillar, Mother, Father, Lorina, everyone…" she spoke as she fell, closing her eyes. "Thank you for guiding me. I finally go to sleep now. Or wake up? Whichever it is."

She continued to fall, remembering more happier times. Sitting on a tree reading a book by a river with her sister, dancing at a party with her parents, playing with her cat Dinah, attempting to ride a white pony in a field but falling with her father rushing to aid her. And there were the more wondrous memories, like falling down the rabbit hole, encountering the Cheshire Cat when he was fatter, having a tea party with the Mad Hatter and his friends, singing with Gryphon and the Mock Turtle. They were all beautiful memories, good memories, and cherished memories. Alice opened her eyes, her curiosity sparking up for one last time and raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"Why is a raven like a writing desk?"

She closed her eyes again as darkness eloped her. She was at rest.

**…**

**The next chapter will be the last in my fanfic. Originally, I was going to kill the Cheshire Cat after introducing the Queen but I wanted Alice to have a more defiante presence instead of bawling in front of the Queen. Alice's winged form came into the plot some time ago, and was inspired by Valkyries of Norse myth.  
**


	11. In the Golden Afternoon

**Chapter 11: In the Golden Afternoon**

October 6th, 1874, now in the middle of a rather peaceful autumn. Rutledge Asylum was known for its insane patients, most of which never escaped their own madness and spent their days in hysteria until they died. Some were fortunate enough to be cured and sent on their merry way, but this was rarely common. Doctor Wilson stood in his quarters, staring at himself in a mirror. He had grown older than he though, with greying hair and wrinkles on his face. He still wore his glasses which he had been wearing years ago. Sighing to himself, Doctor Wilson went to his desk and picked up his patient notes. It had been too long since Alice last showed life signs. Sure, he hoped for her, but he did have other patients other than her. So, he spent the next few hours visiting his other patients, some of which weren't even under his care. He dropped in to visit the new Superintendent, the previous one having actually died due to mercury poisoning. As for his mischievous nephews, it turned out they had been heavily abusing patients behind closed doors and were sent off to prison, something Dr. Wilson was very happy to see occur. The new Superintendent was very polite and good-mannered compared to the last one and had vowed to clean up the asylum, dramatically flipping over his office desk in the process to add emphasis to his statement.

Rounding a corner, he soon found himself in front of the familiar door leading to Alice's room. Sighing to himself, Dr. Wilson opened the door and saw the familiar faces gathered in the room like they were there all the time. Alice slept motionless in her bed, eyes closed, almost looking peaceful. Sleeping at the end of the bed with her head resting on the quilt was Lorina, Alice's older sister. Dr. Wilson pondered what her fiancé was up to since he had not come with Alice. Nurse D. sat in a chair by the room's desk, petting the stray cat which had affectionately cared for Alice. By a stroke of luck, Lorina had identified the cat as Dinah, the family's old pet cat who had followed Alice to the asylum to keep an eye on her. Loyalty was very strong form of a relationship in Dr. Wilson's eyes. Nurse D. looked up and smiled as the psychiatrist entered.

"Morning, Nurse D," greeted Dr. Wilson, not bothering to close the door, nor expecting anything to occur today. "If I didn't know any better, you've become quite attached to that cat."

"Just as you have become attached to these two girls," replied Nurse D.

"Touché," said Dr. Wilson. "It does seem like such a long time ago when Alice arrived, the same with Miss Lorina."

"Do you think she will leave?" asked Nurse D.

"Which one?" responded Dr. Wilson. "Miss Lorina perhaps. She does have a fiancé or husband somewhere. As for Alice, I don't know."

Nurse D. looked down to the floor in sadness. Dinah stretched her body in exhaustion, and then meowed loudly. Dr. Wilson raised an eyebrow in curiosity, his eyes drifting to the sleeping girl. That was until he noticed that Alice was stirring in bed. Nurse D. gasped lightly in relief, Dr. Wilson immediately moving to Alice's side.

"Alice? Can you hear me?" Dr. Wilson called, anxious for the girl to respond.

A single cough came from Alice, who jolted violently in her sleep. Shifting around for a minute or two, Alice became still and silent again. Dr. Wilson bowed his head in disappointment and turned away, hoping today would be the day. He began to walk for the door.

"Doctor?"

Dr. Wilson had only taken three steps when he heard the voice. He turned, glancing over his shoulder and saw the reddish-browned haired, emerald-coloured eyed girl looking at him from the bed. Alice beamed at him from her bed, smiling peacefully to Dr. Wilson, who turned fully to face his patient.

"Hello, Alice," said Dr. Wilson, wondering if he was dreaming. "How are you?"

"Better. Much better," said Alice. "It wasn't my fault after all. My parent's did not die because of me."

"Of course not, child," said Dr. Wilson, his glasses beginning to steam up. "All I can say is, well, this is a miracle!"

Alice smiled brightly, and turned her attention to her slumbering older sister. Alice leaned over and played gently with her sister's hair. Lorina instantly stirred in her sleep, and opened her oceanic blue eyes. Lorina slowly looked up, seeing Alice looking at her lovingly.

"You're awake, Lorina," said Alice, quickly breaking into tears. Lorina stared at Alice like she had two heads, suddenly pulling her into a loving embrace.

"Alice, you're the one who is awake!" cried Lorina, breaking down into sobs. The two sisters held eachother for the longest time, sharing tears of joy and sorrow.

Nurse D. rose, placing Dinah on the floor. The cat hopped up onto the bed and sat beside Alice, who seemed to recognise her old pet and pulled him into the family hug. Dr. Wilson quickly strode out of the room into the corridor, followed by Nurse D. Unsure of what to do, Dr. Wilson was sniffing heavily, trying his best not to cry. Nurse D. approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder. Dr. Wilson turned to the elderly nurse behind him, smiling broadly.

"Thank you, Nurse D.," he said, patting her on the shoulder in gratitude. "Thank you for helping me."

"You are most welcome," said Nurse D., now crying herself.

"Oh, look at us. We have a reputation to keep up," said Dr. Wilson, removing his glasses to wipe away the steam.

"We work in an asylum, Doctor," said Nurse D. Dr. Wilson glanced at her, raising an eyebrow.

"That will do," said Dr. Wilson, smiling to himself in amusement and strode off down the hall. Nurse D. watched him go, and quietly closed the door to give the sisters some privacy before departing after him.

…

Alice was back in bed, after much crying and apologising between sisters. She was currently staring up at the ceiling, as she had actually done for the past ten years, only this time she was deep in thought. She had to have a medical check-up soon, but first she wanted to sleep, even though she had been sleeping forever. Lorina sat by her bedside, watching her intently.

"I'm not sure if I'll be able to forgive myself for what I did," said Alice.

"You couldn't help it if you were catatonic, Alice," said Lorina.

"No, I mean what I did to my own mind," said Alice, pointing at her head. "What I did to my friends in Wonderland. It's meant to be my dream world and I destroyed it, and I didn't even know I did."

Lorina looked fondly at her sister, and ran a hand through her hair.

"I'm sure your friends will forgive you in time," said Lorina. "But, please forgive yourself."

Alice looked up at her sister, smiling in appreciation. She leaned back onto the pillow and closed her eyes.

"Be back soon, Alice," said Lorina.

"For the check-up?" asked Alice, opening her eyes and looking at Lorina in horror. "I'd rather eat blotting paper!"

Lorina laughed aloud as Alice smiled, and she closed her eyes. She thought and worried what had become of Wonderland in her absence, and quickly drifted off into slumber, her answer soon to be revealed.

…

Alice's eyes snapped open, and immediately saw a strange purple, cloudless sky above her. Sitting up, Alice looked around, finding herself in a wooded clearing. Trees around her were covered in the coloured leaves of autumn, as well as on the grass that surrounded Alice. She was in Wonderland, or at least something that resembled her dream world. Rising to her feet, Alice glanced about her, not seeing a soul in sight. She instinctively reached into her apron pocket, only to find no Vorpal Blade or other weapon within. She was vulnerable, and immediately looked about in search of a weapon. She quickly spied a tree branch, and grabbed it defensively. Looking about in caution, she made a beeline for a nearby pathway of trees.

Walking steadily into the dark path of trees, their branches curling around like claws reaching for her. It reminded her of the Queen of Hearts' tentacles. As she moved on, she failed to notice a billowing cloud of mist following after her, until it stopped over a tree branch, materialising into the form of a familiar grinning cat.

"That twig is not exactly what I would call a weapon, Alice," said the Cheshire Cat, grinning away.

Alice turned and smiled brightly, seeing her old friend alive and well. The Cheshire Cat hopped down from the tree and was instantly pulled into an almost suffocating hug that could have snapped his emaciated frame like a twig. Alice was already crying, completely over the moon to see the Cheshire Cat alive.

"Hello, Cheshire-puss," said Alice.

"I thought I told you not to call me that!" he snapped.

"Sorry," apologised Alice, ending their embrace. "Although, I am actually very sorry…"

"For what?" asked the Cheshire Cat, cocking his head to one side in confusion.

"For what I did to Wonderland," said Alice, sniffing lightly, still saddened by her actions. "Please forgive me."

"Codswallop, Alice. You have triumphed over your guilt and thus saved Wonderland. There is nothing to forgive," replied the Cheshire Cat. "Even as a cat, I can say I'm proud of you. Now, come, everyone is waiting for you."

"Where are we going?" asked Alice as she watched the Cheshire Cat walk off past her towards down the leafy path, Alice following him.

"To the White Pieces' castle. We're running late," said the Cheshire Cat, turning back to look at her.

"You sound like Rabbit," said Alice. "Is he…?"

"It seems everyone who died has been revived, save the Queen and the Jabberwock," said the Cheshire Cat. Alice beamed brightly, giving the smile which the Cheshire Cat had not seen since she was a little girl.

…

The two friends continued through the forest until they a large shining lake appeared into view, sparkling with a gold colour from the sun which now shone brightly in the naturally odd purple sky. Alice's smile had left her face since, led for once not by her will to survive and slice up some card guards, but instead led by her desire to reunite with her friends once again, some she thought were long gone. Now alive and well thanks to what the Cheshire Cat had told her.

"After the Queen's death, all of the card guards just dropped dead and rotted away and all the tentacles across Wonderland shrivelled up like dead ants," explained the Cheshire Cat. "Next thing I know, I was alive with my head back on my neck. I saw the Queen's body, well, what was left of it."

"She was a puppet too," said Alice, looking up to the sky as a flock of birds flew overhead. "She was just being used by my own guilt so I could have something to strike out at. Has the King of Hearts been revived?"

"I'm not sure, Alice," said the Cheshire Cat, as they passed by a slope which led to the lake's edge. He noticed his companion had disappeared and stopped.

Alice stood facing the lake, staring motionlessly towards it with wide eyes. The Cheshire Cat crawled up beside her and followed her gaze. A figure sat on the water's edge, observing the lake and the trees beyond. The figure was a tall, lanky man sporting a large top hat and a cane. It was the Mad Hatter. Without a word, Alice set off down the slope towards the Hatter, the Cheshire Cat not moving from his spot.

As Alice approached the Mad Hatter from behind, he turned his head slightly and noticed her. His eyes disappeared under the brim of his hat and he returned to looking out to the lake. Alice stopped several feet behind, and watched him in silence.

"I've come to realise how beautiful this place truly is," stated the Mad Hatter. Alice nodded and looked out towards the lake as well. She eyed the large gear sticking out of the Mad Hatter's back.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I still am a machine. No surprise really. It's my punishment for acting as I did," lamented the Mad Hatter, reaching over his shoulder to touch the gear.

Alice walked over to the Mad Hatter and sat down beside him, placing a forgiving hand on his. He glanced at her without turning his head, noticing how she was smiling quite sweetly at him.

"I forgive you, Hatter," said Alice. "I'm responsible for driving you madder than you already were."

"Thank you, Alice. But I doubt though that Marchy and Dormy will be as forgiving," responded the Mad Hatter, removing Alice's hand to get up. He then took Alice's hand and helped her up. He noticed the Cheshire Cat watching from the top of the hill. He tipped his hat to the grinning feline, the Cheshire Cat nodding back.

"Why don't you come with us to the castle? I'm sure everyone will be pleased to see you," suggested Alice as the two walked up the slope to join the Cheshire Cat. The Mad Hatter towered over Alice in size.

"Oh, I don't think that's a very wise idea, Alice," replied the Mad Hatter, shaking his head despondently as the two reached the top of the hill. "I doubt very few people would be please to see me. Don't forget, I stepped on the White Rabbit and kept a lot of my friends as prisoners and experiments."

"You won't know until you try, Hatter," said the Cheshire Cat. "Don't turn into a coward, now."

"I am beyond that, Cat," said the Mad Hatter. "Very well, I shall accompany you to the White Queen's castle…you are going there right?" He glanced to Alice for confirmation.

"Yep," said Alice.

"Yes, right. Very good," said the Mad Hatter, turning back to the Cheshire Cat. "Right, Cat, I will accompany you to the White Queen's castle."

The Mad Hatter marched away down the path, waving his cane, motioning Alice and the Cheshire Cat to follow after him.

"Don't dawdle, friends. Time waits for no man or cat," said the Mad Hatter, waving his cane around in the air.

The Cheshire Cat smiled to himself and followed after the Mad Hatter. Alice smiled and began to follow after her friends. She took ten steps, and then paused for a moment of thought. The Cheshire Cat stopped, noticing she had stop.

"We're not going to get anywhere if you keep stopping, Alice," said the Cheshire Cat. Alice shook her head in defiance and smiled at her friends.

"Sorry, but I think I'm going to go for a little walk beforehand," said Alice. The Cheshire Cat and Mad Hatter exchanged confused looks.

Alice simply smiled again and walked off in the opposite direction, disappearing into the forest of falling leaves. The Cheshire Cat watched her disappear and his trademark grin returned to his face.

…

And so Alice wandered about her beloved Wonderland, taking in all the sights and smells. However, she never talked to anyone. Only watched, like a bystander watching the sights of their local high street. A silent observer, like she did not belong in Wonderland. She didn't feel like she belonged here. She had become so familiar with the hellish Wonderland, that this new calmer place seemed like a dream. Every few minutes she would look over her shoulder for any sign of an enemy she would have to kill. But none came. So she walked and watched, seeing old friends and enemies alike alive and well.

She visited the underground village of the mining gnomes. The gnomes were now free, no longer carrying heavy mounts of equipment and minerals on their backs, but building their village to become bigger and larger. The Gnome Elder was overseeing the project. Puffing from his pipe, he noticed Alice watching from afar, and raised his pipe to her in a gesture of thanks. Alice smiled back and with a nod of her head, she departed the village.

Alice walked through the Wonderland woods, kneeling to look down a hole where she spotted the Voracious Centipede addressing his army of ants and other insects. While she could not make out what they were saying, she noticed a notice had been nailed onto the Mushroom of Life. On it was the warning "The Mushroom of Life is property of the Voracious Centipede. Hands off!" Alice chuckled to herself as she got to her feet and continued on her journey.

She strolled down the rivers that made up the Vale of Tears, until she came upon the familiar sight of the Duchess' house. Bill McGill sat outside on the porch steps, swigging from a bottle of brandy and looking quite drunk. Waving drunkenly to Alice as she approached, Bill offered her the brandy bottle, but Alice grimaced in disgust, waving a hand in disagreement. Bill simply shrugged and downed the bottle. Alice stepped past him, steering clear of the front door and looked through the window into the house.

Inside, there stood the Duchess, a stout woman with an oversized head. Alice smiled joyfully, recognising the Duchess, and not the imposter cook. The Duchess stirred a large pot of who knows what, but a large cloud of steam was rising from the pot and covering the room is a murky fog. Alice noticed a door in the room had been boarded up, something from the other side banging against it loudly, trying to escape. Alice stared with concern at the banging door, but turned away, having faith in her friend's protection.

Alice passed through the central hub of sorts of Wonderland on her way to the Pale Realm, spotting Caterpillar and Humpty Dumpty sitting on the brick wall. Humpty Dumpty's head had been patched back together, and he looked rather happy to be back in one piece. The two sat on the wall, smoking from their hookah pipe and cigar, and puffed smoke rings into the air, each one growing bigger and bigger. Caterpillar smirked to himself as he puffed from his hookah pipe and puffed out a butterfly made of smoke. It flew its way through the smoke rings and vanished. Caterpillar turned to Humpty Dumpty who grumbled to himself, placing his cigar in his mouth and then blasted out a jet of black smoke into Caterpillar's face. Alice giggled to herself, and proceeded on her way towards the White King and Queen's castle.

The Pale Realm had changed too. The chequered sky of black and white squares had vanished, replaced by a clear blue sky. The now rebuilt castle of the White Pieces stood tall and proud, built out of white and silver stone. A large blue flag waved atop of the castle's tallest spire. As she approached the entrance of the castle, she heard the loud blast of a trumpet sound off in the distance. A swell of excitement formed in Alice's heart. She knew who was playing that trumpet, hurrying her way up into the castle.

Arriving in the castle's giant throne room, Alice hovered by the entrance and saw a large gathering of familiar faces were present. Standing at the front of the throne room where the White King and White Queen. Beside them stood noneother than the White Rabbit, dressed in his finest, holding aloft his trumpet.

Alice spotted Arcanum the white knight standing before the present army of white chess pieces, holding aloft a smaller version of the flag from the castle's spire.

Gryphon was present, alive and well, reunited with a very happy looking Mock Turtle. Although the Mock Turtle was in tears as usual, but this time it was tears of joy that he was crying.

Alice spotted the Mad Hatter's tall hat among the crowd, the Hatter sitting alongside the March Hare and Dormy, reunited. The Mad Hatter had taken up most of the bench with a number of gadgets and gears, fixing up his two briefs with temporary replacement limbs and body parts. Dormy was asleep as the Mad Hatter and March Hare chatted quietly.

Mr. Mouse sat among the numerous people present, alongside the Dodo who sat with a cane. Most interestingly was the presence of the Red Pieces. The Red King slept in a chair beside the White Rabbit, snoring loudly. The White Rabbit tapped a foot impatiently at the king's constant snoring. Shaking his head in anger, he brought the trumpet to the side of the Red King's head and blew hard into it. The blast of the trumpet awoke the Red King from his slumber with a start, causing him to leap right out of his seat and go flying onto the floor.

"I'm awake!" cried the Red King as he heaved himself up and returned to his seat.

"Stop sleeping," said the White Rabbit, turning to address the audience. "All rise for their royal highnesses, the White King and Queen."

The audience rose from their seats and broke into thunderous applause as the White Queen stood forward to address them.

"I shall keep this brief," spoke the White Queen. "We owe our survival thanks to Alice, our saviour and champion. Because of her bravery and willingness to face her struggles, Wonderland has been saved from destruction. I do not know where she is, but I'd like to say thank you, Alice."

At that point, the White King stood and joined his queen before the crowed and raised a fist of triumphant.

"Long live, Alice!" he cried and soon familiar cries of "Long live, Alice!" were shouted across the room before another round of applause followed along with cheering.

Alice beamed brightly, close to tears. Totally overwhelmed by this uproar of gratitude. She considered going in and making her presence known. She wanted to. Wiping her eyes, Alice smiled to herself. She turned to go away, only to find the Cheshire Cat standing in her way, grinning as usual.

"Going somewhere, Alice?" he asked.

"I was just…" started Alice, but she dropped her attempt of reasoning and smiled. "No, no I'm not."

"A lot of people here would like to speak to you," said the Cheshire Cat. "Mostly about complete madness but still. They are grateful."

Alice giggled like a schoolgirl. The Cheshire Cat was right. They would be talk about madness, nonsense, absurdities. But Alice loved it. She loved her friends. She loved her Wonderland.

She wanted to go into the throne room and make herself known. She wanted to. And she did.

…

The sun shone brightly over Rutledge Asylum, a seemingly out-of-place scenario in such a place of woe, misery and madness. A horse-drawn carriage was waiting outside patiently. The front doors of the asylum opened as Alice and Lorina stepped out. Alice wore her blue and white dress, and carried a suitcase with her. She looked up to the brightly-coloured sky with new resolve. She was free from her catatonia.

Lorina smiled at her. She turned her attention to Doctor Wilson and Nurse D. as they exited the building after them. Dinah followed and ran over to Alice, circling her feet. Lorina shook hands with Dr. Wilson and Nurse D.

"Thank you, Doctor, Nurse," said Lorina. "Thank you so much for looking after my sister all these years."

"It has been our duty, Madame," said Dr. Wilson, nodding his head. "Just keep an eye on her. There's every possibility she could still have lingering problems. We don't want a relapse."

"Of course, Doctor," said Lorina. She bowed in thanks, and walked to Alice. "Hurry, Alice. We have to catch that infernal train."

"Okay, Lorina," said Alice. "But wait one moment."

Alice placed down her suitcase and ran to Dr. Wilson, and to his surprise, pulled him into a hug.

"What's wrong, Alice?" asked Dr. Wilson.

"Nothing, Doctor," said Alice, looking up to him with her beautiful eyes. "Thank you for everything."

Alice detached herself from Dr. Wilson and gave a similar hug to Nurse D. Dr. Wilson smiled and patted the girl on the head affectionately.

"Our pleasure, Alice," said Dr. Wilson. "Take care. Now run along. You'll be late."

Alice nodded in agreement. She ran back to her suitcase, picking it and Dinah up and walked off towards the carriage with her sister. Dr. Wilson and Nurse D. watched as the sisters boarded the carriage. Alice looked out of the carriage's window, looking almost fondly at the asylum and cheerfully waved goodbye to her carers. Nurse D. waved back, tearing up again. Dr. Wilson closed his eyes peacefully and opened them to catch the sight of the carriage departing. He smiled to himself and pulled out his pocketwatch, fondling it, reminding him of his first proper conversation with Alice.

In the carriage, Alice watched the asylum disappear out of sight, replaced by green trees and large hills. Resting her head on Lorina's shoulder, and stroking Dinah who sat in her arms, for the longest time Alice felt something she had missed for too long: Peace. She closed her eyes to drift off into sleep.

That was until she sprang up suddenly in realisation, her confused frown on her face. Lorina noticed this, turning to her sister with concern.

"Alice, are you alright?" she asked.

Alice nodded lightly and turned to face at her sister, blinking rapidly, and replied.

"Lorina…why _is_ a raven like a writing desk?"

**THE END**

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**Note: I'd just like to say thanks to everyone who has read this fanfiction. It's been my favourite one to write. I'll write a sequel based on Alice: Madness Returns.  
**


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